A Simple Legacy
by elle6778
Summary: COMPLETE. Inuyasha's erratic youkai transformations forced Kagome to seek help from Sesshoumaru in more ways than one. Unsurprisingly, the taiyoukai balked at the idea...until Kagome offered him something in exchange for his help.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

Title: A Simple Legacy  
Author: elle6778  
Category: Inuyasha  
Genre: Action/Drama  
Summary: Sesshoumaru/Kagome. Inuyasha's erratic youkai transformations forced Kagome to seek help from Sesshoumaru.

A/N: It took me forever to think up a title, and I'm still not sure it's appropriate! This is my first Inuyasha story, so I hope you'll not be too harsh if I messed up some facts. Some are actually deliberate, in order to push the story in the desired direction, but others are probably just my ignorance.

* * *

**A Simple Legacy by elle6778 - Chapter 1**

The atmosphere of tense anticipation cloaked the Higurashi residence. Occupants in the house rushed around in preparation for the long awaited moment. In the main bedroom, a woman laid on sheets which were previously crisp, but now drenched with her sweat. The overhead light in the room was shining bright into her eyes.

Too bright, the woman thought as she continued to pant in exhaustion. She took a deep breath, trying to relax as coached by the elderly woman standing over her. Vaguely, she wondered if she should have taken her husband's advice and gone to a hospital with all the modern amenities instead of insisting on having a traditional birthing.

"Soon. Your baby will be with you soon," the kindly midwife said to her with a smile.

Unable to speak amidst her pain, she nodded.

"Now push."

Gritting her teeth, the woman strained and bore down, trying with all her might to force the baby in her womb out into the world. Then she fell back, dragging in deep gulps of air. This was her first baby, and she had been warned that it might be difficult.

The midwife stroked her forehead gently. "Again."

Groaning, she pushed again.

And again until she lost count of how many times she had tried.

In her exhausted state, she dimly registered the sudden flare of bright light. Brighter than the overhead lamp. Brighter than anything she had ever seen before. So unnatural, she thought fleetingly.

She frowned as she heard a hushed voice in her mind.

'…_filled with love…grow pure and strong… best of both worlds… eighteen of years…'_

Then, a sudden comforting warmth surrounded her just moments before the pressure in her womb receded and a loud wail pierced the air.

Whoops of joy from her father and her husband filtered through the bedroom door.

She lifted her head, smiling a little as the midwife placed the bloodstained baby on her chest. Joy lit up her eyes as she looked down at her firstborn.

The midwife's eyes were suspiciously damp. "It's a girl."

"Kagome. I'll call her Kagome."

* * *

The reddish streaks from the west signaled the rapid approach of dusk. Long shadows reached across the dirt path, ever stretching as the sun sank lower and lower in the horizon. Encouraged by the light breeze, the trees appeared to be whispering to each other. The only other sound present was the muted footsteps of Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un. 

Sesshoumaru's steps, however, were inaudible.

In the relative silence, the sound of the commotion in the distance immediately caught Sesshoumaru's attention. His head tilted up a little as he let his senses sweep the distance and then immediately stiffened when the scents registered.

Inuyasha and his companions were near.

It sounded as if they were fighting. Sesshoumaru frowned, slightly perplexed as he did not detect any youkai aura. He could only detect the stench of dead youkais in the air, no doubt those who had been killed by Inuyasha.

So who was the hanyou fighting with?

Torn between curiosity and his distaste of having yet another pointless encounter with his hanyou half-brother, Sesshoumaru stood rooted to the same spot until he felt a hesitant tug on his loose white sleeve.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

His eyes lowered to find Rin staring up at him expectantly.

A bright smile flashed across the human girl's chubby face. "Are we stopping? Rin can pick flowers?"

Without replying, Sesshoumaru lifted his eyes to stare in the direction of the noise. He guessed it would be beneficial to see what that idiot was up to. It would only be a short detour after all.

"Come," he stated in a firm tone. He did not need to look back to see if the rest followed him. He knew they were.

They always did.

* * *

They stood facing each other in the clearing next to a rock cliff. 

Kagome eyed the white-haired hanyou in front of her with trepidation. She was dismayed at the speed at which he had regained his mobility after her earlier subduing spell. And now, he just stared at her with nothing but hatred in his blood-red eyes. The stripes under them made him look more menacing than usual. He bared his fangs at her, but his feet remained unmoving while his chest heaved up and down as the result of his erratic breaths.

Not far from her, Sango, Miroku and Shippou were lying in various positions on the ground as the result of the last fight. They were still alive, a fact which brought great relief to her.

Kagome turned her attention back to Inuyasha. She was tense, and she was ready to bolt. But she knew that she had no chance of outrunning Inuyasha.

Inuyasha had lost himself to his demonic side again. She had tried to talk him out of it, but he was not listening. She had subdued him using the rosary around his neck for what seemed like hundreds of time, but he was quick to bounce back. Each time, the recovery time became shorter than the previous. It was as if the rosary was losing its hold on Inuyasha's youkai blood. She was beginning to lose track of how many times this had happened in the last few weeks. It was just getting worse. And each time he had lost it, it seemed harder to control the transformation.

She did not know what to do anymore.

This time, it had been the fight with the tiger youkai which had served as the catalyst for Inuyasha's transformation into his youkai self. The tiger youkai, fortunately for them, was splattered in many pieces across the ground, the Shikon shard which had been embedded in his back now safely in Kagome's possession.

Her eyes flicked up the cliff, where the tip of a deceptively rusty looking katana was embedded in the rock face. Tetsusaiga was too far up for her to reach, and without it, reining in Inuyasha's youkai would be next to impossible.

A vicious snarl sounded, instantly pulling her attention back to him.

"You betrayed me, Kikyo," Inuyasha spat venomously.

Kagome froze.

Inuyasha was so far gone that he could not distinguish between her and Kikyo? A bubble of anger appeared inside her, pushing past her fear and steadily grew. She was sick of being compared to that woman.

"It's Kagome, Inuyasha. I'm not Kikyo," she gritted out slowly.

His red eyes flickered, and Kagome felt a flutter of hope in her heart. Perhaps she was getting through to him after all. Then she saw recognition flare in his eyes. To her alarm, he streaked forward so fast that she did not even have a chance to blink before he grabbed her in his arms.

"Kagome." The way he said her name gave her shivers, and it was not of the pleasant kind either.

"Inu…Inuyasha?" she stuttered uncertainly.

He was holding her close. Way too close. She could not breathe. He was crushing her. What did he think he was doing? It occurred to her that the gesture would have been sweet if it was the real Inuyasha, and not his youkai, who was holding her.

He licked her neck; one long drag of his wet tongue from the base of her throat to the back of her ear.

Kagome stiffened instantly. Her mind went into lockdown.

"SIT!!!"

He smashed down onto the ground, temporarily subdued. A furious growl sounded, muffled against the ground.

Her chest heaved as she gulped in a lung full of air, staring down at the hanyou laying prostrate next to her feet. She took a few hasty steps away from him.

"Get a grip, Inuyasha!" she yelled at him, her hands clenched beside her. She could not believe he had done what he had just done, youkai form or not.

Another growl came from him.

"SIT!" she yelled again, just in case he had managed to break the hold of the spell.

Just then, he growled even louder. Kagome jumped in surprise as a flash of white appeared in the periphery of her vision before it solidified into a clear form.

Sesshoumaru.

The youkai lord stood a few meters away from them, looking down at Inuyasha with an undisguised expression of disgust. Kagome groaned in dismay. This was not what they needed at this point.

Unable to get up, Inuyasha tilted his head to the side and shot the youkai lord a scathing glare. "Sesshoumaru…I'll kill you!" he growled murderously.

Kagome cringed at his tone, flicking a fearful look at Sesshoumaru. The full-blooded youkai who was Inuyasha's half brother would surely not take Inuyasha's words too well.

"You're a disgrace." Sesshoumaru's tone was icy, his derision unmasked.

Riled at the other man's words, Inuyasha snarled and continued to struggle against the hold of the rosary. Kagome's eyes widened in panic when he suddenly broke loose and jumped to his feet. This time the rosary's spell barely lasted a minute.

Unperturbed, Sesshoumaru's lips just curled into a sneer.

Kagome blinked and at that instance, both of them charged at each other.

Stepping back, she looked between the two brothers as they swiped at each other using their claws. Her expression contorted with worry and fear. There was no way she could subdue to Inuyasha now. To do so was to hand Inuyasha on a platter to his full-youkai brother. She could do nothing but watch helplessly.

She looked around, hoping that Sango or Miroku would wake up. But they were still lying unconscious on the ground. Then she caught sight of her bow and arrow out of the corner of her eyes.

Or maybe there was something she could do.

Quickly, she ran towards her bow and arrow and picked them up. Stringing the arrow against the bow, she focused her attention on Sesshoumaru. The tip of the arrow glowed slightly.

Then she released it.

Unfortunately for her, Sesshoumaru seemed to have anticipated her attack and fluidly dodged out of the way. Inuyasha, in his rage continued to charge at his half-brother.

Cursing her bad luck, Kagome frowned as she continued to watch them fight, her bow hanging forgotten from her hand. Inuyasha's swipes were wild and uncontrolled, in complete contract with Sesshoumaru's calm, deliberate moves. None of Inuyasha's attacks connected with the youkai lord. But Sesshoumaru did not appear to be attacking as much as he could.

Her brows furrowed in puzzlement. It was becoming blatantly obvious to her that Sesshoumaru was holding back. But why?

Before she realized it, Sesshoumaru had sent Inuyasha flying. The hanyou impacted against the rocky cliff, near Tetsusaiga, sending debris flying around him. And then Inuyasha slid down into a crumpled heap on the ground, his face buried in the rubble next to his katana.

Kagome let out a horrified scream as she rushed towards his prone body. "INUYASHA!"

Crouching down next to him, she slowly turned him around. His eyes were shut. Bloody scratches adorned his face. To her relief, he was still breathing. Quickly, she dragged the untransformed Tetsusaiga closer into contact with Inuyasha, hoping that its presence would bind the demonic side of her friend.

"Sesshoumaru…" she growled in anger as she noted the damages on Inuyasha.

She spun around to give him a piece of her mind just to find herself staring at an empty spot where he had been standing earlier. Darting around the area, she tried to find him, but the youkai lord was nowhere to be seen.

He was gone, she realized in irritation.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stood at his window, staring out at the vast landscape spread out in front of him. His stone castle had been erected at a strategic location, at a high point where he had the advantage of being able to keep his surroundings in his sights. A dense forest surrounded the castle, forming a natural barrier that was reinforced by spells and an additional invisible barrier he erected. 

He appreciated beauty. And his compound in the Western Lands was beautiful. A small stream weaved to the east, its calming gurgling sound audible to him even from this distance. The hot springs at the back of his castle was the source. The garden was carefully tended by his servants, and as a result, plants and flowers of many hues brightened the landscape.

His mind went back to what he had seen that morning. He could not stop thinking about it.

Inuyasha's youkai had broken loose, but Sesshoumaru had seen no reason for him to attack his traveling companion like a rapid dog. And his own wench, at it. Sesshoumaru's lips curled a little in disgust. The hanyou's self-control was non-existent, and it brought dishonor to the family, hanyou or not.

But what happened to cause it? What made Inuyasha lose control so completely?

Why didn't the stupid hanyou hold on to Tetsusaiga instead of leaving it stuck in the rock cliff? Surely he knew what would happen if his youkai blood calling out to him.

It was baffling to say the least.

Sesshoumaru turned away from the window and padded back to his desk. He had more important things to do than to waste time thinking about his half-brother.

* * *

Kagome found Inuyasha sitting in a tree at the outskirts of Kaede's village. 

Since she had found him missing from the mat in Kaede's hut an hour earlier, she had been looking all over for him. He had been out cold for almost a day, a rare occurrence for him. His body had not healed, Kagome thought in irritation, and he should not be wandering around.

She was about to scold him when she detected the flash of pain in his eyes. Instantly softening, she sighed. Inuyasha always felt remorseful after he regained control.

"Inuyasha," she called out gently.

He remained seated on the tree branch.

"Come on, Inuyasha. You're not going to recover if you don't rest."

He finally turned to her, the anguish in his eyes unhidden. "I'm sorry, Kagome." His voice was gruff, like he had to force the words out.

She smiled at him. He was so different when he was like this. "It's okay, Inuyasha. It's not you. It's your youkai."

He looked away from her. "But that youkai is half of me. It IS me. I don't understand why you're not angry."

Kagome felt her heart twist. Inuyasha was really beating himself up over this. Yes, she had been furious. But now, her anger for his manhandling the day before was already gone, replaced by her overriding concern for his health.

She sighed wearily. "Come on down, Inuyasha. We can talk about this inside."

She waited, and then released a breath of relief when he dropped down from the tree and followed behind her as she walked to Kaede's hut.

Inuyasha stepped in close behind her as she entered Kaede's hut. His fingers accidentally brushed against her arm and she froze involuntarily. Sneaking a glance at him, Kagome found him wearing a hurt look.

It had not been her intention to flinch away from his touch. But she had encountered the amorous side of his youkai too many times. It was beginning to affect her feelings for him. If she had to guess, his demonic side was torn against his previous hatred for Kikyo because of the sealing, but that side also desires Kagome, but could not separate the two in the jumbled mess of his mind.

She tore her eyes away guiltily and continued to the mat where Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kaede were sitting sipping tea. She was aware that her relationship with Inuyasha had begun to get strained as she could not help but be wary of him. She sensed that his youkai was always close to the surface nowadays and it was so easy to provoke it. And the last thing she wanted was to be ravaged by a youkai, Inuyasha or not.

Nowadays, she never quite knew how she was supposed to trust Inuyasha to protect her from youkais when he could not even protect her from himself. It occurred to her that she needed to get stronger to protect herself, and she had no idea how to go about it. Miroku and Sango could only help so much. And she did not want to endanger Shippo.

She supposed she could use her unpredictable miko powers if anything really got out of hand, but she was worried that she might accidentally hurt Inuyasha beyond repair, especially when he was in his youkai state.

Sitting down between Shippou and Kaede, Kagome poured a cup of tea for herself and one for Inuyasha.

All of them were at their wits end. They had no idea how to deal with it. The demonic side of Inuyasha was also gradually overcoming Kagome's subduing spell, which made it even more difficult for her to keep herself safe.

"We need to do something about this," Sango broke the silence, flicking a meaningful look at Inuyasha.

A low growl sounded from his throat. His eyes were hidden behind his bangs. "I'll get it under control."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Like how you did yesterday, huh? You almost killed Kagome because you thought she was Kikyo."

"I know she's not Kikyo!" Inuyasha snarled, jumping to his feet.

Kagome sighed wearily. "Look, Inuyasha. We'll think of something, alright?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he clenched the hilt of Tetsusaiga tighter. "I'll find a way to control this. You just stay out of the way."

Rolling her eyes, Kagome retorted flatly. "Yeah sure. You're doing great by yourself."

A sucking sensation suddenly brought her attention to her own neck. In reflex, she slapped the offending pest just to find a squashed flea youkai floating down in front of her.

"Myoga!" she exclaimed in surprise as he popped back into his usual rounded form.

Inuyasha grabbed the diminutive flea youkai between his thumb and forefinger. "What are you doing here, Myoga?"

The youkai bowed lightly. "It seems that you're having problems with your youkai blood, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha dropped Myoga carelessly and crossed his arms. "Keh. Nothing I can't solve."

Kagome sat straighter, suddenly feeling like the wise old youkai might be able to shed some light on the problem. "What do you know about this, Myoga?"

"It's Tetsusaiga."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Many thanks to sessysgurlapril13, S T Nickolian, Koori Youkai Hime, IloveMyAttitudeProblem, serasvictoria666 and Mz Mischief for reviewing the previous chapter. :grins: I needed the support! Here's the next chapter.

* * *

**A Simple Legacy by elle6778 – Chapter 2**

The rag-tag group comprising one white-haired hanyou, one red-haired kitsune, one cute neko-youkai and three humans made their way down the path bordered by a rich green forest on one side and a cliff on the other. Although those human ones could not see it, Inuyasha had informed them that he could sense that they were nearing their destination.

Deep in thought, Kagome trudged along with Shippou perched on her shoulder. Inhaling deeply, she took in the fresh scent of the forest and the clean, crisp air following the earlier downpour.

She would be eighteen in about two months time. After almost three years in Sengoku Jidai, she still could not help but be amazed at the natural environment around her. She smiled slightly at the thought. Was it already three years since she had first step foot in the past? Three years since she had released Inuyasha from the Goshinboku tree and shattered the Shikon jewels into shards?

The thought of the remaining shards of the jewel dampened her spirits a little. She sighed, wondering what else fate would throw at them to make the hunt for the Shikon shards more difficult. This time, it was the problem with Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, apparently.

She went back to their conversation with Myoga.

The old flea youkai had told them that Inuyasha's problem with his youkai blood was likely caused by the Tetsusaiga's power. That had been all he was willing to tell them. Hence, they were now making their way to Totousai in the hope that the elderly blacksmith could shed some light on Myoga's cryptic information. Totousai, who was a friend of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's father, Inu-no-Taishou, had been the one who forged Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga and Sesshoumaru's Tenseiga. And unsurprisingly knew more compared to others about the properties of the objects bestowed by Inu-no-Taishou to his sons.

Before she knew it, they had arrived at Totousai's door.

The door opened to reveal a wrinkly half-balding blacksmith with protruding eyeballs. Shifting his gigantic forging hammer from one shoulder to the other, he gestured for them to enter. "Come. I've been expecting you."

Kagome exchanged a surprised look with Sango. Shrugging, they filed into the dimly lit space.

"Totousai. What do you know about Tetsusaiga's problem in binding my youkai blood?" Inuyasha asked brashly even before they sat down.

Kagome gritted her teeth. Would it kill him to be more civil sometimes?

Fortunately, Totousai seemed to be unfazed. "Yes. Sit down and I'll tell you."

Inuyasha scowled, but did as instructed, much to Kagome's relief.

"You've used the katana well, and it has done well to bind your youkai blood," Totousai begun thoughtfully.

Inuyasha bristled. "So what's the problem? Why am I transforming more and more often of late?"

Totousai shook his head slowly, his expression filled with concern. "I don't know for sure. But I think it's to do with the fact that I reforged it using your fang. You hanyou fang."

Inuyasha's eyes bulged. "WHAT? What has that got to do with anything?"

"Shut-up, Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped, irritated at his constant interruptions. How was Totousai supposed to explain anything with Inuyasha interrupting every two seconds?

Inuyasha glared at her, but settled down in a huff. His face was set in a sullen expression. Kagome rolled her eyes.

Totousai looked at them with mild amusement, but continued, "I suspect that your fang is too closely linked to you and not powerful enough to bind your youkai blood. The one from your full-youkai father obviously had done a better job of it."

The old swordsmith paused in thought.

Kagome decided to prompt him. "So what can we do?"

Totousai looked up. "I can reforge the katana with a full-blooded youkai fang. As it is your family's legacy, the only one I can use is Sesshoumaru's fang."

"WHAT?" Inuyasha jumped to his feet. "No, you're wrong. This can't be it," he ranted. The hanyou began to pace jerkily around the small hut.

Sango ventured hesitantly, "Are you sure, Totousai? There is no other way?"

Totousai nodded sagely. "It's the only way."

Miroku shook his head slowly, looking as if doomsday had arrived. "Sesshoumaru will kill us. This will be the end."

Kagome frowned. Totousai could fix the katana but would need a part of Sesshoumaru's fang because it was more suited for the job than Inuyasha's? It made sense in an odd way, but Kagome knew that Inuyasha loathed asking his brother for anything. A glance at said hanyou told her just as much. Revulsion was plastered over Inuyasha's face, no doubt at the thought of acquiring his stoic half brother's help.

She stood up and walked to him. Placing a hand on his arm to still his agitated movements, she said, "Why don't you just ask, Inuyasha? Who knows? He might agree to help."

Inuyasha paused and gave her an incredulous look. "You're kidding, right? That bastard Sesshoumaru would rather see me die."

Kagome let out an exclamation of frustration. "What do you suggest we do then?"

Inuyasha growled. "Kill him." He was serious, she could tell from his expression.

Kagome shook her head vigorously. "No, Inuyasha. He's your half-brother, for Kami's sake!"

"Feh! I don't care. I'm not asking Sesshoumaru for help. I'll kill him and rip out his fangs. That's what I'll do."

Horrified, Kagome exclaimed, "Inuyasha!"

Shippou shook his head. "Forget it, Kagome. Inuyasha is just being his usual stupid self."

Inuyasha instantly rushed to the small kitsune, grabbing the kit by his neck. "What did you say?" the hanyou snarled threateningly.

"Kagome!" Shippou wailed, his arms cartwheeling in his desperation to escape the irate hanyou.

Concerned about Shippou's fate, Kagome rushed towards them. "Let him go, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha ignored her. Instead, he snarled into Shippou's face. "Apologize, you runt!"

Shippou opened his mouth wide. "KAGOME!!"

Inuyasha shook the kitsune roughly.

Kagome's eyes narrowed.

"SIT!"

A loud thud followed, and Inuyasha sprawled flat on the floor. A string of curses escaped his lips, but the words were thankfully muffled. Kagome glared at him.

Sango stood up and held her hands out in a placating gesture. "Look. Why don't we just get some rest? We can discuss this tomorrow after a good night's sleep."

Nodding in agreement, Kagome went to pick up her sleeping bag and laid it down on the floor. Settling down, she wrapped her arms around Shippou and tried to sleep.

Unfortunately, sleep refused to claim her. The events of the past few weeks came back to her, causing her to toss restlessly within her sleeping bag. Finally, with a resigned sigh, she carefully detached her arm from Shippou and walked out of the hut.

The gentle breeze was soothing, marginally clearing her jumbled mind. Finding a comfortable spot against a tree, she leaned back and glanced up at the twinkling stars above.

Now that she had thought about it a little bit more, it was not surprising that Totousai required Sesshoumaru's fang. As far as she knew, Sesshoumaru was one of the few individuals who could subdue Inuyasha. But asking that youkai for help left a bad taste in her mouth. She could only imagine what his reaction would be when they approached him to ask for his fang. And they just had to. They had no choice. Inuyasha's sanity, and life, depended on it.

But Sesshoumaru would not give in so easily. He had no reason to trust them or wanted to help them. What could they offer him that would encourage his help?

Tetsusaiga would be one thing he wanted, she thought with a grimace. That was the last thing she could hand over to him, considering the circumstances. It belonged to Inuyasha, not to mention that without it, Inuyasha would be hopelessly out of control.

She frowned. Come to think of it, she did not remember Sesshoumaru asking for the katana in their recent encounters. Had he lost interest in it then? It was odd.

Think. Think. What else could Sesshoumaru want?

Her eyes widened as something else occurred to her. His arm. Surely he would want his arm back, right? Considering how arrogant that youkai was, the loss of his arm must be something which grated at him.

She was a miko, right? There must be something she could do to help. But how? She was so under-trained and she had no idea where to start.

Kaede. She would ask Kaede.

Her spirit lighter, she bounced up happily and rushed in to tell everyone of her plan. Yes, this was important enough to wake everyone up, right?

* * *

It had taken a few days for Kaede to impart the relevant knowledge to Kagome. It was an advanced form of healing, the basics which Kagome had gone through first. Kaede had told her that since re-forming a limb was going to be much more difficult, it would take her a few tries to get the entire limb to grow back to what it was before. Kaede also had warned her against overstraining herself, as the procedure required a vast amount of power from her. 

And now, armed with her new skill and accompanied by Sango, Miroku, Kirara and Shippou, Kagome found herself trudging down yet another dirt path in search of Sesshoumaru. Although she knew that it was going to be difficult to persuade the youkai, Kagome was determined that she should remain optimistic about it.

She grinned when she recalled Inuyasha's face when he had heard her plan. Unsurprisingly, Inuyasha had been adamant that he should just kill Sesshoumaru and be done with it. The hanyou, as usual, had been in no state to listen to reason.

As a result of that incident, the rest of them had plotted behind Inuyasha's back.

Just before they departed this morning, they had managed to subdue him. Right now, Inuyasha should be safe in Kaede's hut, fast asleep under a spell woven by the elderly miko. Hopefully the spell would last long enough to give them a good head start on the stubborn hanyou.

They knew that there would be a downside to Inuyasha's absence. Without him, they had to rely on Shippou and Kirara to hunt down the elusive youkai lord. Kagome knew that this would take longer, but she did not care as long as they found Sesshoumaru.

She just needed to remain optimistic.

* * *

Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped open. 

And then they sharpened the second he detected the now familiar scent.

Again.

It was the scent belonging to Inuyasha's traveling companions, minus the hanyou. This was the fourth time in just as many days that they had come so close to him. It was too frequent to be mere coincidence. He was beginning to suspect that they were trying to track him down.

A quick glance around him told him that Jaken, Rin and Ah-Un were still sleeping, peacefully unaware of the approach of Inuyasha's companions. He should have taken all of them to the air. However, he had recently refrained from doing so unless absolutely necessary. The trees and shrubs in the forest gave him and his traveling companions much better cover from Naraku's spies.

Sesshoumaru growled softly. Naraku was yet another hanyou who was rapidly becoming a thorn in his side. It irked him that he was being hunted down like an animal by Naraku who craved his superior youkai powers. Not to mention that Sesshoumaru did not care for any of Naraku's petty games.

He tilted his head up and sniffed.

There were five of them; three humans and two youkais. The wench, who was rumored to be a miko, was also there. He would find out what they were doing there.

Sesshoumaru stood up and followed his nose.

He walked until he came upon a shallow stream. That was where he found the human, the wench who followed Inuyasha. The one who had the audacity to keep shooting her arrows at him. Fruitlessly, of course.

The breeze brought her scent closer to him. It was a fresh scent which reminded him of peaches. To his surprise, for the first time, he realized that it was not entirely unpleasant. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his wayward thoughts. No, human always smelled disgusting, unwashed and pungent.

Sesshoumaru looked around, seeing no one but her. Her scent was the strongest here, which implied that her companions must be some distance away. So she was alone. He watched her gather her belongings from the bank. She was about to leave.

It was time to make his presence known. Sesshoumaru stepped out from the hidden spot behind the tree, right in the direct line of her view across the stream.

The human girl immediately froze as her eyes landed on him.

"What is your purpose here?" he went straight to the point, his expression stony.

She held herself as if she was not afraid of him, but even with the distance, he could see the hint of wariness in her eyes. Good. She _should _be afraid of him.

"Speak, wench," he ordered, mildly impatient at her delay.

She hesitated for a moment, and then pointed to his empty left sleeve. "I can fix that."

His eyes widened a fraction at her unexpected words. Was she telling him that she could make his arm grow again? Impossible! He clenched his right fist.

"You lie, wench," he finally stated coldly.

Taking a step forward, she shook her head vigorously, her long black hair flying around her face. "No, I'm not. I can restore your arm." Then she took a deep breath, looking as if she needed to strengthen herself for her next words.

Sesshoumaru waited.

"But I need something in return."

His eyes narrowed at her audacity. If she could really do what she had claimed, he could just take her and force her to heal his arm, willing or not.

She seemed to have read his mind. "Before you even think of forcing me, let me tell you that this is something that can only work if I'm willing."

Biting back a growl, he ordered, "You will restore this arm." It was an order.

A light flashed in her eyes and her chin tilted up stubbornly. "Only if you agree to trade. Something you want for something I want."

In a blink of an eye, he flew across the stream and pinned her against a tree trunk, his clawed fingers clamped unyieldingly around her neck. "This Sesshoumaru would not sink so far as to trade with a lowly human." His voice was hard.

Her hand gripped his wrist in a futile attempt to get him to remove his hand. She struggled and gasped, "Just listen to me. I'm not asking for a lot."

The disrespectful wench needed to learn her place. Sesshoumaru tightened his grip. Her desperation increased, and the blunt tips of her fingers dug deeper into his wrist.

Then he saw the pleading look in her eyes. His lips tightened. Her large luminous eyes reminded him of Rin, he realised in disgust as his grip loosened involuntarily. Keeping his face impassive, he released her completely and watched her crumple to the ground in a trembling heap. Slowly, without looking at him, she straightened herself.

"Speak." His tone was indifferent.

Hesitantly, she lifted her eyes to his. He could see the swirl of emotions in them. Fear, confusion and then finally resolve.

"I'll heal your arm in exchange for a chip of your fang…" she faltered. Appearing to think, she fell silent for a moment before she added in a stronger voice, "…and training."

Sesshoumaru keep his expression blank. But he could not dampen the feeling of surprise which jolted him. His fang? And training? What for?

"Why do you need my fang?" he asked, the suspicion in his voice undisguised.

Again, she hesitated. His eyes narrowed. Her reluctance to inform him of what he wanted to know was beginning to grate on his nerves. Whether he decided to accept her trade or not, he hated to be kept in the dark about anything.

"Wench…" That one word carried a wealth of warning.

Kagome stiffened. "We need some of your fang to help seal Inuyasha's youkai blood," she finally said, but not without a hint of reluctance.

Sesshoumaru stared at her thoughtfully. So that was what this was all about. Inuyasha had been behaving more erratic than usual because Tetsusaiga was unable to seal his youkai self. Totousai must have told them to acquire his superior fang. Sesshoumaru sneered inwardly. Weak hanyou. Inuyasha should learn to control himself better, Tetsusaiga or not.

Then he remembered the second part of her so-called trade. "The training?" he prompted.

She took a deep breath. "I need to be able to defend myself against Inuyasha. He's been…unpredictable."

Training a human to hold her own against his half-brother? It was a ludicrous idea. "Find someone else. This Sesshoumaru do not train any humans," he dismissed flatly, turning away.

To his surprise, he felt a sudden movement of air behind him. Swirling around, he grabbed her hand before the small appendage could cause him any harm. Not that it would. He heard her squeak in fear and pain, her eyes large in her face.

"Do. Not. Even. Try." His words came out as a threatening hiss.

She cringed in front of him, but then the expression in her eyes hardened. "You know I can't harm you, you beast!" she all but yelled. "So let go of me."

He did not heed her words. After all, who was she to order him around? Instead, he watched with morbid fascination as silvery sparks began to appear in her eyes. The human was so angry that she was shaking. He could see it, and he could feel it in the slender wrist in his hand. This was new. Normally humans were too scared of him, so much that they would not even dare to utter a single word, let alone brave enough to be angry.

Her face flushed with emotion, she gritted out, "If you don't want to help, then fine! Let Inuyasha be taken over by his youkai self. Let him go on a rampage on innocent humans and youkais."

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she continued, "Let him kill the one he had sworn to protect and regret it for the rest of his life."

"It has nothing to do with this Sesshoumaru," he said disinterestedly.

Her breath hitched in her throat, and Sesshoumaru watched emotionlessly as she fought for control. Then she spoke in a harder tone. "I see that you don't care." With a derisive snort, she continued, "Why should you? You hate Inuyasha."

A sudden heat sparked between his and her wrist, forcing him to loosen his grip. She yanked her hand away from him and stomped away. He stared at his hand, watching how it was smoking a little. The wench just burnt him with her miko powers. But the damage was small, hardly deserving any concern.

He closed his hand into a tight fist. Did she think that he cared what happened to that stupid hanyou brother of his? Or that Inuyasha might kill her in his youkai state?

He watched as her form grew smaller and smaller, wondering why he had not just grabbed her.

Then she disappeared out of his sight.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Many thanks to serasvictoria666, Mz Mischief, FaintlyAlarming, xkoolshamanx, mangadreams, Angelic Devil 1234, kinkilittlelady69, sesshie and S.T.Nickolian for reviewing the last chapter. I hope that you all will enjoy this one as well!! Slightly longer this time.

* * *

**A Simple Legacy by elle6778 – Chapter 3**

Kagome fumed as she stormed through the foliage. The tears she had been holding back when she had ranted at Sesshoumaru now streamed unchecked down her flushed cheeks.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!

She hated that taiyoukai. She hated his cold indifference, his arrogance and his I-am-Sesshoumaru-therefore-better-than-any-one-else attitude. It was just a _chip_ of his fang after all. What was the big deal? It was not as if it would not grow again.

Slowing down her steps, she sighed heavily. She just felt so helpless.

Poor Inuyasha, Kagome thought sadly. She wondered how he was faring back at Kaede's hut. The spell the old miko had performed would keep him asleep for a few more days, at the most. When he woke up, she had no doubt that he would be furious at them for their treachery and waste no time in hunting them down.

The worse thing was, Inuyasha was right about Sesshoumaru. Without Sesshoumaru's agreement to help, they would have no excuse to stop Inuyasha from obtaining Sesshoumaru's fang in battle.

If only Sesshoumaru would just agree to trade. Inuyasha was his brother, for Kami's sake! Had he no sense of family honor at all? Had he no heart? Had he no compassion?

Kagome's lips twisted. Stupid question. Of course he did not have a heart. And if he did, he did not know how it functioned. He was one of the strongest youkai around after all. Why would he need something like compassion? Why bother with his hanyou brother?

Kagome dashed the tears away from her cheeks. But surely he must feel something. After all, what else could have possessed him to look after a child like Rin. A human child at that. And as far as she could see, Rin was happy to be with him, so he must be treating her well. That should say something, right?

She frowned slightly as something else occurred to her. When Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had been fighting that day, Sesshoumaru had thrown Inuyasha to the cliff. The taiyoukai could gave thrown his half-brother anywhere against the cliff, but had chosen to direct Inuyasha to the spot where Tetsusaiga was buried. Could it be that Sesshoumaru had done it deliberately because he knew that Tetsusaiga was the only thing which kept Inuyasha in control?

Kagome groaned. Whatever it was, it still did not help with her current predicament. She knew it was going to be difficult, but she just did not expect it to be near impossible.

The fang was one thing. She did not know what had possessed her to ask for training as well.

_Yeah, right, Kagome_, her inner voice mocked knowingly.

Fine, perhaps it had occurred to her that with some training from him, she might be able to protect herself against Inuyasha and other youkais a little better. Hence not having to depend on everyone else all the time. Not to mention this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, because how often would she have something the Western Lord wanted?

The campsite came into view. Even before she could reach it, a red fur-ball streaked towards her.

"Kagome-neesan! You took so long. Where were you?"

She caught the fur-ball in her arms with a smile. "Shippou-chan."

Shippou's grin fizzled out as he regarded her, his eyes suddenly filled with concern. "Kagome-neesan? You were crying."

She stared at him, surprised. How did he know? Then she realized that the little kitsune must have smelled her dried tears.

"It's nothing to worry about, Shippou," she evaded.

Shippou's nose twitched, and then instantly stilled. His green eyes narrowed. "Sesshoumaru did this, didn't he?" His little body trembled in anger. "I'll kill him!"

"Shh…" she consoled him. Shippou had no chance of killing Sesshoumaru, and they both knew it. "It wasn't him. I was just upset, that's all."

Sango appeared with Miroku close behind her.

"You saw Sesshoumaru?" the houshi asked.

Kagome nodded. "Actually, he found me at the stream."

"How did it go?" The youkai taijiya looked worried.

Kagome shook her head sadly. "He kind of brushed me off."

Sango sighed, looking resigned. "To be honest, it's not unexpected."

Miroku nodded. "Considering how Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha fight all the time, I can't see him wanting to help."

"But he can have his arm back. He can be stronger," Shippou exclaimed, clearly not understanding why the taiyoukai refused to help them.

"I don't think the loss of that one arm actually weakened him," Sango noted dryly.

Kagome shrugged, suddenly feeling exhausted. "We've tried. I guess we need to think of something else."

Miroku, for once, eyed her with concern instead of his usual lecherous manner. "Get some rest, Kagome. We have a long trip back to Kaede's tomorrow. Since Sesshoumaru is not willing to help, there is no reason for us to remain in the Western Lands."

Sango nodded in agreement. "We'll talk about it when we get back to Inuyasha."

"He's going to try to kill Sesshoumaru," Shippo muttered with a worried frown.

Kagome straightened her spine. "We'll just have to talk him out of it. There must be some other way to do this."

"I hope so," Sango said, but she looked unconvinced.

Miroku stood up and walked to the fire. "I'll be on watch tonight."

With a small, tired smile, Kagome gathered Shippou closer to her and headed for her sleeping bag.

* * *

Sesshoumaru glanced at his empty sleeve. 

The human girl's words refused to leave him. She said she could return his arms to him. But how?

He knew that there was a rumor that she was the reincarnation of the miko called Kikyo. This might explain her ability. Frowning slightly, he compared the two women, finding it hard to believe that they were of the same soul. The undead miko was a disgrace, and there was something about her which repulsed him to the core.

No, he did not believe that the two of them shared the same soul. They even smelled different. He recalled coming across the undead miko's path a few times many years ago, when she had been amongst the living. Her scent and her soul did not feel the same as the wench.

Sesshoumaru shook himself inwardly. He had better things to do than to mull over their souls. All he was interested in was the wench's ability to restore his arm.

It occurred to him that whole thing could simply be just a ruse to make him give up his fang. Should he believe the human girl? If she was the only one who could return his arm, would he be just throwing away his chance just for the sake of distrust and pride? Throwing the opportunity away just because he never liked to depend on another?

And this time it _would_ be his own arm, not some inferior youkai's limbs, or even more abhorred, a human limb.

Sesshoumaru stood up abruptly.

"Rin."

The child ran up to him, her face glowing from the exertion of playing, or rather, torturing, Jaken. "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Stay close to Jaken and Ah-Un."

Rin nodded. "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Without another glance at his companions, Sesshoumaru launched off the ground.

The idea of having his own arm again was pleasing.

He just needed proof that the wench could really do it.

* * *

Kagome was in the middle of a dream when suddenly something woke her up. 

Her eyes snapped open and instantly locked with a pair of cold, expressionless, golden eyes. The face staring down at her was beautifully formed, with a crescent moon on his forehead and magenta stripes on his cheekbones. She stiffened in alarm the moment her brain registered his identity.

Sesshoumaru.

Before a scream could escape her lips, a strong hand clamped on her mouth, silencing her call for help. Her eyes widened further and a feeling of suffocating terror began to consume her. Her heart thumped hard against her ribcage. Gripping his wrist with both hands, she struggled, trying to free herself from him.

Their eyes clashed again. The warning look in his told her what he did not voice out loud. Knowing that she had no other choice, she nodded her head slightly in agreement and stilled her movements.

Apparently satisfied, Sesshoumaru gave her a curt nod. Releasing her mouth, he pulled her up roughly and grabbed her around the waist with his one and only arm. His armor dug painfully into her stomach and shoulders, but she did not think that he would appreciate her complaints.

Kagome stifled a shriek when they launched into the sky, the cold wind rushing past her ears at an alarming rate. Shivering, she clamped her lips together, her fear growing exponentially as they moved further and further away from the campsite.

Where was he taking her? Her face was buried in the fur on his shoulders and she could not see where they were headed to. Vaguely, she realized that Sesshoumaru smelled nice, like the scent of midnight air after a storm mingled with something completely masculine. Her shivers abated a little as she absorbed the warmth from his body, but her fear remained.

She did not know how long they were in the air, but she was relieved when they landed smoothly on the ground. The arm around her immediately retracted, leaving her to stumble ungracefully as she tried to find her footing. A quick glance around her told her that they were at the stream where they had met yesterday.

"You can restore my arm." It was a question, but he made it sound like a statement.

She looked up at him, unsurprised at his abrupt manner by now. A twinge of hopefulness began to grow within her. Maybe he was willing to help after all.

She nodded quickly. "Yes. But only if you keep to your end of the bargain."

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but Kagome noticed it and immediately took a nervous step back. Perhaps she should attempt to approach this another way.

"Prove it," he stated in his usual uncompromising tone.

Her mind froze at his words. She stared at him, tongue-tied. His expectant gaze unnerved her, making it hard for her to remember what Kaede had thought her few days ago.

* * *

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously as the human girl continued to hesitate. It was as he had thought; she was lying about her capabilities. His blood began to boil. How dare such a slip of a human girl try to trick him this way? 

He was incensed that he had fallen for it, but he kept his expression carefully blank.

Although he had been skeptical about it, there was a part of him which had been hopeful. After all, being crippled was a sore thing for him. He craved perfection in every way, even from himself. Missing a limb was an imperfection that he could do without.

And now, to be tricked this way…It was simply unacceptable.

An angry growl escaped his lips before he could stifle the sound.

The girl's eyes shot up in alarm and she took a few hasty steps backwards. His hand snapped out and closed like a vice around her wrist, preventing any further movements.

"Where do you think you're going?" His voice was hard.

"Let me go," she pleaded.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You tricked this Sesshoumaru."

Her eyes widened even further. Then, to his surprise, she shook her head vigorously. "No. I did not."

Loosening his hold on her, he narrowed his eyes. "You're lying."

To his surprise, right before his eyes, her trembling stopped and she straightened her spine. Her expression displayed her annoyance. "Sesshoumaru, in order to do this, you're going to have to trust me a little. I said I could do it, didn't I?"

The girl had guts, he admitted grudgingly. A white eyebrow arched in challenge. "Then, prove it to this Sesshoumaru."

Her eyes flashed. "Fine." She looked around and her eyes settled on a log. Gesturing to it, she said, "We'd better sit."

"This Sesshoumaru will stand." Human or not, he was not about to place himself in a vulnerable position.

Exasperation clouded her features. "Just in case you haven't noticed, you're much taller and it'll be harder for me to reach you when you're standing. I'll need all my energy to do this."

He searched her face, looking for signs of trickery. Finding none, he finally nodded and went to the log. The human girl lowered herself next to him and he resisted the natural impulse to distance himself from her. Obviously noticing his displeasure at their close proximity, the girl rolled her eyes. Sesshoumaru thought to glare at her but decided that it was not worth the effort.

"I'm going to have to touch you," she said, rolling his empty sleeve up.

He nodded curtly. He would suffer this indignity for the sake of his limb.

The first contact of her finger against his skin sent a shock through him. Pearlescent sparks flew between her hand and the stub connected to his left shoulder. Annoyed, he hissed at her in warning.

Grimacing, she muttered sheepishly, "Sorry. Too much energy there. You're making me nervous."

"Hn."

Frowning, he looked down at her, noting her concentration as she endeavored to control her miko powers. Then her eyes fluttered shut.

His sensitive ears picked up the sound of her heartbeat slowing and the hair at the back of his neck stood the moment he felt her miko power surge forth unsteadily. A tiny moment of doubt crossed his mind. This human girl could attempt to use her miko powers to harm him and he was just sitting here letting her touch him.

No. He knew that her miko power would not cause him harm him unduly. Her purifying energy would give him a bad burn, that was all, but hardly likely to kill him. And if she had any intention of purifying him, she would have done so already, wouldn't she? Why wait until now?

Trust. She said that he should trust her. His lips tightened. Trusting humans would be a mistake. No. He did not trust her, but he would tolerate her.

A warm tingle at the stub where his left arm used to be drew his attention back to her. The girl's eyes were closed and there was an eerie translucent flush to her skin. The tingling intensified and Sesshoumaru glanced down to his left to see the stub glowing bright. His eyes widened slightly, amazed at what he was seeing.

The glow intensified suddenly, shooting out light sparks.

Then it was gone.

The suddenness of it left him frozen for a moment before he registered that the human girl had fallen to her side, obviously exhausted after her ordeal. From the sound of her steady heartbeat, he knew that she was still alive, just drained.

Anticipation filled him as Sesshoumaru brought the stub up for closer inspection.

Then the corner of his lips tilted. It was slight, but he could see the protrusion of his bone stretching the end of the stub, the new skin pink.

His arm had grown out just a little. But it had grown. And that was all that mattered to him.

He lowered his arm and glanced again at the human girl. Her powers were extraordinary, raw and untamed. Too raw and untamed, he thought, feeling a little worried. She barely had any control over it tonight. He could sense how hard she had been trying to keep it in check. And that was probably the reason why she had collapsed. Not from the outpouring of power, but more due to the exertion of controlling it.

He got to his feet. A decision needed to be made, and he suspected that he already knew what it was going to be. But he was never one to rush into anything. He would give himself a few days to mull over this, to make sure that he was indeed taking the correct step forward, and then he would decide.

"Ah-Un," he called, knowing that his command would be heard by his servant even with the large distance between them.

It took a few minutes before the two-headed beast landed on the bank of the stream in front of him.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl, mildly appalled that he had to touch her, but he knew that it was necessary. And after tonight, it was possible that touching her might be something he just needed to get used to.

Quickly, he hauled her up and dropped her on Ah-Un.

"Take her back to her companions. Make sure they awake to tend to her."

* * *

"Kagome?" 

"Kagome-neesan?"

Slowly, she cracked her eyes open and instantly blinked against the brightness of the midday sun. Shippou came into focus, followed by Kirara's, Miroku's and Sango's worried faces.

"Huh?" She blinked again, trying to clear the cobwebs in her mind. Her entire body felt lethargic. Like she was weighed down by something heavy.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" Sango asked, placing a cool hand against her brow.

"I don't know…Um… Yes. I think so," she replied uncertainly.

"We didn't know you left," Miroku remarked, sounding very curious.

"Sesshoumaru's two-headed beast brought you back," Shippou added, his fluffy red tail twitching worriedly.

Kagome sat up abruptly as the memories of the previous night came back to her. She almost could still remember the feel of Sesshoumaru's warm skin under her fingers. And then the sudden overload of miko power which had caused a spark to erupt between them. She groaned, realizing now that she had passed out before she could see if it had worked.

"Was Sesshoumaru here last night?"

Shippou shook his head. "No. Just the beast. Where did you go, Kagome-neesan?"

Miroku waggled his brows. "Did Sesshoumaru take you to…um…Did he…Did you…" he faltered as his fingers began to twitch uncontrollably.

Comprehending the perverted monk's unspoken implications, Kagome's eyes widened. However, before she could raise her hand, Sango's Hiraikotsu landed on Miroku's head, instantly knocking the perverted monk out cold.

Kagome glanced at his still form for a moment before she raised her eyes to Sango. "Sesshoumaru wanted proof that I could heal his arm."

Sango, Shippou and even Kirara leaned forward.

"So?" Shippou prompted.

Kagome shrugged helplessly. "I don't know if it worked. I kind of collapsed and the next thing I know, I'm back here. I guess since Sesshoumaru is gone, the healing didn't actually work."

Sango closed her eyes and leaned back. Shippou groaned. And even Kirara looked disappointed.

Kagome sagged. "I know…I know… I should have tried to stay awake to make sure. But if it had worked, don't you think he would have said something?"

"It's alright, Kagome," Sango soothed gently. "At least you're back here and safe, right?"

Shippou nodded. "Yeah, Kagome. And Sesshoumaru did not harm you. That's something, right?"

Kagome flashed them a weak smile. She knew that everyone had hoped that everything would turn out well. Studying her hand, she wished that she had more control over her miko powers. If she did, they would not be sitting here, all feeling low.

She was disappointed in herself.

Picking up her toiletries, clothes and her bow and arrow, she turned to Sango. "I'm going to take a bath, Sango-chan. Do you want to come along?" she invited.

Sango shook her head. "No. I had one last night." And then she shot a warning look at a wide-eyed Miroku. "I'll stay here and make sure Miroku doesn't wander."

Kagome managed to crack grin. Tossing them a wave, she made her way to the hot-springs nearby. Humming absently, she padded through the forest, pushing low tree branches out of her way. The morning sun filtered past the dense foliage, casting bright rays around her. Birds chirped and insects buzzed lazily.

All in all, the forest was peaceful. Unlike her current mood.

Her mind went back to their current predicament. With Inuyasha in the state that he was, it was going to be difficult for them to hunt for the shards together. Since it was highly unlikely that Sesshoumaru would give up his fang, she guessed the only thing they could do at the moment was to ask Totousai if he could reforge the Tetsusaiga with another youkai's fang.

But which one? Kagome frowned. According to Totousai, the fang must belong to a strong youkai. The only one that she knew of, apart from Sesshoumaru, was Naraku. And Naraku was not even a true youkai, but more like a hanyou.

In her preoccupation, she had neglected to keep her eyes peeled for danger.

A loud squawk sounded overhead, startling her just a moment before she picked up the sound of wings flapping. By the time she found herself facing a large hawk youkai, it was too late for her to run.

Her eyes widened in fear.

The hawk youkai has a male human form. He was standing on two human-like legs, covered in a smattering of dark brown feathers. Large wings extended from his arms. His face was graced with a hawk beak and a glittering pair of black eyes. The bright glow of a Shikon shard drew her eyes to his neck.

"You have the Shikon shards," he stated in a nasal tone.

"So do you," she pointed out flatly.

The youkai flapped his wings violently as a response.

Kagome's eyes widened further, but she stood her ground. Running now would be pointless. There was no way she could run faster than the hawk could fly.

Stepping back slowly, she pulled out her bow and arrow. The tip of the arrow began to glow pink.

The hawked eyed her, and then squawked in disgust before he sped forward.

Kagome aimed and released the arrow. Unfortunately for her, the youkai's eyes were sharp and he managed to dodge the arrow. She attempted another shot, but the arrow went wild. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she decided that the best course at the moment would be to run back to the campsite.

With that thought, she swiveled round and ran. She heard the rapid flapping of wings as the hawk youkai pursued her. Breathing hard, she pumped her legs faster, desperate to reach Sango and Miroku.

"Sango! Miroku!" she yelled, hoping that they would hear her.

A loud flap sounded just behind her, and she felt the air shift around her. The next thing she knew, she was airborne. The forest fell away under her at an alarming rate and she let out a piercing scream.

"LET ME GO, BIRDBRAIN!" she yelled, struggling frantically to free herself from his claws. Vaguely, it occurred to her that if the youkai had heeded her words, she would by falling down through thin air.

The hawk youkai laughed evilly. "I shall have the Shikon!"

Her eyes hardened. "NO!" she yelled, renewing her struggles.

Then, suddenly, a white blur streaked up from below. Her eyes widened in recognition.

Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru!" she yelled, uncaring that the youkai was not exactly a friend. Anything would be better than this hawk youkai.

Obviously noting Sesshoumaru's rapid approach, the hawk youkai did a quick turn and flew in the opposite direction. Kagome renewed her struggles, but the youkai's claws held fast onto her shoulders. Knowing that it was futile to continue struggling, Kagome ceased her movements.

Just then, she heard the sound of something whipping fast through the air and the hawk youkai squawked in outrage. Kagome's eyes widened as the grip on her shoulders loosened.

And then she felt herself falling.

She closed her eyes and screamed.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Articfire69, Koori Youkai Hime, bgirlbreaker, mangadreams, Misstress Kit-Kat Monster, S.T. Nickolian, serasvictoria666, bluediamond-hime, Yokai no Miko, Kaze, guardian Deathscythe and Angelic Devil 1234 - Thank you SO MUCH for your wonderful comments! (:Hugs:). Here is the next chapter. It seems to be getting longer and longer but I hope you'll like it.

* * *

**A Simple Legacy by elle6778 - Chapter 4**

The piercing scream tore through his head, jolting Sesshoumaru mid-flight. As his eyes snapped to her free-falling body, he glowered. What possessed the wench to scream like that? With a disgusted exclamation, he efficiently slashed the lowly hawk youkai with his poison claws, tearing the youkai into pieces.

Then he dove.

The wench had already fainted from shock when he snagged her by the back of her indecently short kimono. Weak humans, he thought derisively as he landed in a clearing next to a hot-spring. Placing the wench against the tree, he gave her a cursory scan which told him that she was unharmed.

He sat on a rock ledge bordering the spring and waited.

The intensity of the sun gradually decreased as the glowing orb descended to the west and hid itself behind a cluster of rain-clouds. The gloominess was then further enhanced by the steam from the hot-springs forming a hazy envelop over the area.

He kept his eyes trained on the human girl who was slowly coming back to consciousness. The second her eyes opened, those brown orbs unerringly locked onto his. To his amusement, which he quickly contained lest she detected it, she shuffled away from him before she realized what she was doing.

Then she stilled, blinking in remembrance.

"Um…Thank you for saving me," she uttered in a quiet voice.

A noncommittal, "Hn" was all he gave her as a reply. He should have just let her fall, but the idea of having his arm returned stopped him.

The girl pushed herself to her feet, glancing at him warily. Then she said, "Well, I'd better get back to camp now. Sango and the rest will be worried."

For a moment, Sesshoumaru regarded her in silence, noting her increasing nervousness when he did not speak. He had made up his mind, and he would make his intention clear to her. He stepped closer until they were facing each other just an arm's length apart.

"You will restore this Sesshoumaru's arm in exchange for the fang."

Her nervousness dissipated visibly, and immediately replaced by a hopeful light. Truly, the wench showed more emotions than any typical human.

In any case, the wench had irritated him more than once during his encounters with his hanyou half-brother. She did not seem to understand that her interference was not appreciated. And hence, he decided on additional stipulations to the agreement.

"In exchange for the training, you will not ever stand against this Sesshoumaru, whatever the circumstances may be. Also, you will be bound to honor one request from this Sesshoumaru without question."

He watched impassively as her jaw slowly dropped. He did not know exactly what he needed from her specifically, but there was not any harm in having a miko in his debt. He smirked inwardly. Especially one so close to his hanyou brother. Perhaps he could use her to manipulate Inuyasha.

"B-But…Inuyasha…" she protested, stuttering as she did so.

He shot her a hard, uncompromising look. "Do not stand in this Sesshoumaru's way, even when the hanyou is involved."

This slip of a human had interfered many times in his fights with Inuyasha, and as much as he loathed admitting it, she was more than capable of tilting the balance. She had always been the unknown, the surprise element that had always given Inuyasha an unfair advantage.

She stared worriedly at him. "And the request?"

"The nature of the request will become clear when this Sesshoumaru deems it necessary."

The indecision in her eyes was clear. But this Sesshoumaru was not about to budge from his position.

Ultimately, it would be her choice. If she did not agree to his stipulations, he would just have to come up with another, possibly less refined method of obtaining her agreement. Either way, he was not walking away from the opportunity of regaining his arm.

"If I agree to this, you won't harm me?" she asked.

"This Sesshoumaru would not harm you unduly during the course of the agreement," he told her. Tempting as it might be, he added inwardly. He was making no promises of that nature for their time after the completion of the agreement, however.

She continued to hesitate, a thoughtful frown on her face as she mulled over his words. His tolerance began to thin.

"Do not try my patience," he warned coldly.

"I'm thinking, alright!" she snapped irritably.

"Wench…" he growled at her rudeness.

She tilted her chin up, and he watched as her expression solidified into some sort of resolve.

"I accept."

With a curt nod, he turned and began to walk away.

"Hey," she shouted to his retreating back.

He gritted his teeth at the insolent manner in which she addressed him. She needed training more in manners towards her superiors than training in combat. Ignoring her, he continued to walk away.

"HEY!" she shouted again, the indignation clear in her tone.

Sesshoumaru reined in his fury at being so thoroughly disrespected. It would not do to kill the human who had the ability to restore his arm. A short pause followed before he heard her call out again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama." Her tone was softer this time, more respectful.

As it should be.

The wench was not stupid after all. His steps slowed to a halt. It was time to lay out the rules to her. With Rin's presence, it normally took him three days to complete the patrol of his territory. Considering the wench's physical state after her demonstration yesterday, it would probably take that long for her to restore her energy. And even if she did not, he had no intention of disrupting his schedule.

Without looking back, he stated emotionlessly, "Every three sunsets in this clearing starting tomorrow you'll be trained in the art of combat, without the use of your miko powers. Alone. Without your traveling companions. The same nights, you will carry out the healing. When this Sesshoumaru's arm is restored, you can have the fang."

A sputter of disbelief sounded behind him. "But it'll take two months! It's too long. Inuyasha may not last that long," she protested vehemently.

"Cease your whining," he snarled. "Until this Sesshoumaru's arm is fully restored, you will not have the fang."

She slumped visibly, and then reluctantly nodded.

Sesshoumaru allowed himself a smirk of satisfaction.

* * *

The open-pit fire burned merrily, circled by a group of thoughtful travelers resting in the campsite. 

Sitting cross-legged on the ground with Shippou in her lap, Kagome watched unblinkingly at the dancing fire. She had just told Sango, Miroku and Shippou about what happened and they were now all sitting there in stunned silence.

Good thing she did not tell them about her training or his final stipulation. The one which basically meant that she had to honor a request from him, whatever it was. She could only imagine what their reaction would be.

It was a stupid thing to agree to. Sesshoumaru now held something over her head. What if he asked for the Shikon jewel when it was completed? Kagome cringed inwardly. But would he? After all, the Shikon shards in the jar had been right in front of his face each time they met, but he had done nothing to it.

What if he asked for something more…personal? Blanching, Kagome closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. No. He hated humans. There was no way he would ask her for _that_. And anyway, with the way he looked, there must be plenty of willing female youkais throwing themselves at him.

Kagome slumped dejectedly. It was more than clear to her who received the better end of the deal. After all, she had only asked a bit of training and his fang. Not exactly important things to him considering that she would hardly pose a risk to him even fully trained.

"I can't believe he actually agreed," Sango remarked softly, her features filled with wonderment.

Kagome nodded. She knew how Sango felt. After all, she had also been surprised earlier. "Yeah. But I guess he really wants his arm back."

"But the agreement means that you can never help Inuyasha again when he's fighting Sesshoumaru," Miroku noted seriously. "Ah…the Lord of the Western Lands certainly knew what he was doing."

Kagome's gaze shifted from the fire and went to Miroku. "Inuyasha hardly needs help from me."

The kitsune in her lap shook his head vigorously. "You're wrong, Kagome-neesan. You were always there when Inuyasha fought Sesshoumaru. And you always helped."

Gazing down at the perceptive fox youkai, Kagome brightened. "I was, wasn't I?" And with Sesshoumaru training her, she might be able to help even more.

"Inuyasha is not the type to admit it, but you've saved his sorry butt more than once," Sango added.

"Yeah, Kagome-neesan," Shippou chirped.

Kagome gave him a gentle smile before she looked up at Sango and Miroku. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens, huh?"

"When are you meeting him?"

"We're starting tomorrow."

Miroku expelled a heavy breath. "I just hope Inuyasha won't find us until we get Sesshoumaru's fang."

Sango snorted. "You can bet that Inuyasha will be here sooner than we expect. That's what he always does."

Kagome closed her eyes in a silent prayer. "I just hope that he's not too mad."

Gravely, the rest of them nodded in agreement.

* * *

Sesshoumaru only spared a cursory glance around the area as he walked through the forest with Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un. The crunch of dry leaves under their feet, the soft calls of the birds overhead, the soothing mineral scent of the hot-springs nearby; he could sense everything around them without actually using his eyes. 

But then again, he had been patrolling the same area for a couple of days now, due to the presence of Inuyasha's human companion. So it was hardly surprising that he knew exactly where everything was to the smallest detail.

Tonight would be the commencement of their agreement. Sesshoumaru hated to admit it, but the feeling of anticipation inside him had been growing all day. He wondered how much of his arm would grow this time, and how long would it actually take to completely restore it to its previous state. A small frown graced his forehead as he remembered that the wench had said that it would take approximately two months.

He sighed inwardly. But first, he had to train the wench. It would not be pleasant, but he had every intention of honoring his words. He had even ordered Jaken to find a suitable weapon. Jaken had grudgingly found an old katana of his and brought it along, holding it under his arm. That would serve well enough for this evening's training.

The wench was already there when they arrived at the clearing next to the hot-springs. The moment her eyes landed on him, she stood up from the log she had been seated on. The wary gaze which he had been subjected to the last few times they had met was now replaced with a glint of excitement. Perhaps the wench had thought that training under this Sesshoumaru would be easy. He smirked inwardly. He would just have to prove her wrong.

The wench waved her hand at an excited Rin. "Hello, little one."

"Kagome-neesan!" Rin chirped as she gave the older human a hug.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she greeted when he narrowed the distance between them.

He acknowledged her greeting with a curt nod. "We will commence with the training."

Her expression brightened.

He tossed her the katana and watched, un-amused, as she caught it with unsteady hands. If she could not even catch a katana, what were the chances of her being able to wield it as it deserved to be wielded?

A tug on his sleeve caught his attention. "Can Rin watch, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He gave his ward a quick glance. Seeing no harm in her request, he nodded once. It would probably do Rin some good to be exposed to this sort of training. After all, she had to leave him at some point. A sinking feeling appeared in his stomach at the thought, but he quickly brushed it away. It would not do to get attached too attached to Rin.

"Jaken."

The small youkai stepped closer, glancing warily at Kagome. With a respectful bow, he asked, "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru inclined his head towards Kagome. "You will be her opponent." From what he could see of her without her miko powers, Jaken would be more than adequate for the task.

Jaken sputtered, obviously offended at the task he had been asked to carry out. At Sesshoumaru's cold gaze, the toad youkai stilled.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," he said with a long-suffering expression.

As he settled himself on a large rock, Sesshoumaru gestured for her to stand near Jaken.

"Stance, wench. Shoulder's width apart," Sesshoumaru pointed out, his sharp eyes noting the unsteady manner she was holding herself.

The girl shifted slightly, her brows followed in concentration as she found her centre. Then she looked at him questioningly.

"It is acceptable. Grip the katana firmly and hold it up."

He carried on, correcting her basic stances, blocks and holds. The girl was a quick student, but it was becoming painfully clear to him that she had next to no chance of defending herself against anyone when it came to this form of combat, let alone that hanyou, Inuyasha. He groaned inwardly. This was going to take forever.

When he had all but exhausted all the basic stances, blocks and hold he could think off, Sesshoumaru decided that it was time for some real practice. Time to see if she could react under pressure against a real opponent.

"Jaken. You attack."

The toad youkai's eyes gleamed with malice.

Then Sesshoumaru turned to the girl who was watching him with no small amount of apprehension. He could guess what she was thinking. Jaken might be small, but he was still a youkai and possessed a lot of power.

"Wench. Concentrate on your blocks."

Without warning, Jaken swung his staff down.

Sesshoumaru watched impassively as the girl moved. She was not fast enough to counter with a block and was hit on the shoulders. She hissed in pain, but did not take her eyes off Jaken.

Jaken launched an attack again. This time, the girl managed to block the green youkai's descending Staff of Heads, deflecting the blow sideways as she had been taught earlier. But when Jaken swung the staff around the second time, she barely managed to sidestep. The staff glanced off her shin lightly. Off balance, she wobbled and tumbled to the ground.

"Your stance is weak, wench," Sesshoumaru pointed out, his face displaying bored indifference as he stood up. If he had to tutor her in the art of combat, he would endeavor to do it in the manner it deserved. He would not disgrace his art, even if she was just a mere human. "Get up."

The human girl picked herself up and glared at him.

Ignoring her expression, Sesshoumaru proceeded to demonstrate the correct stance. She kept her eyes on him, careful to emulate his moves. Not far beside her, Rin was doing the same. However, instead of using a real katana, the child was using a long stick she had picked up from somewhere. Hardly aware of his own actions, Sesshoumaru gave the child an encouraging nod.

An hour of practice had passed before Sesshoumaru decided to call a halt to it. It would not do to push the wench too much, not if he wanted her to heal his arm.

To his astonishment, she did not look tired. Instead, she was glowing healthily from the exercise. Her eyes were shining in excitement and her skin was flushed, slick with sweat. Sesshoumaru had expected himself to be disgusted, but much to his consternation, he found her presence, and even her scent, tolerable.

He watched her silently as she rolled his sleeve up carefully. Like the last time, she placed a hand against the end of his stub and the other on his shoulders. Recalling what happened the last time, he tensed involuntarily.

"Relax," Kagome coaxed, her eyes still fixed on his arm.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. He could never allow himself to be fully relaxed, not when there were others around him. Relaxing could cost him his life. He needed to be alert at all time, ready for whatever fate decided to throw at him.

A feeling of warmth flowed at the point of their contact, and Sesshoumaru felt his anticipation grow. He looked down at her to see her eyes flutter shut, her lips slightly parted as she breathed deeply, channeling her miko power to heal his arm. As before, there was a translucent glow to her skin.

Her brow furrowed in concentration as the tingling in his stub slowly intensified. A twinge of apprehension nudged at Sesshoumaru when he sensed her inner struggle at controlling her powers. The wench needed to get a better control of her powers, he thought irritably.

After a few minutes, the pearlescent glow grew unsteady, flickering in and out in an alarming manner. Sesshoumaru frowned as his apprehension grew. What was the wench trying to do? The glow continued to fluctuate erratically as he watched. Something was not right.

"Wench…" he ground out in warning.

Her eyes flew open. The glow sputtered an instant before bright sparks erupted from her fingers at the point where their skin met. She gasped in horror.

Sesshoumaru jumped to his feet instantly. His eyes honed in on his folded left sleeve and narrowed in annoyance when he saw grey smoke wafting up from the blackened fabric. Somehow, the human girl had managed to burn his sleeve. On closer inspection, he noted that his arm had grown another inch or so, the new pinkish flesh tender to his touch. At least something went right.

He locked a pair of disdainful eyes onto her nervous ones. "Your control is lacking, wench."

Surprise flared in her eyes for a moment before her expression turned mutinous. Pointing to his left arm, she said smugly, "But it grew, right? And anyway, you're the one who interrupted me."

"Your miko powers were fluctuating unpredictably," he pointed out stonily. Did she think that he was just going to sit there while she fumbled disgracefully with her own power?

She planted her hands on her hips, glaring at him in annoyance. "Look. I'm doing the best I can, alright? Deal with it. At least you'll have your arm back."

"Hn."

He looked at her thoughtfully. Considering the manner in which she spoke to him, it was clear that the wench no longer feared him. How did this happen? She had feared him before. He could not have mistaken the pungent scent the last few times they had crossed path.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" The light in her eyes was nothing short of challenging.

"Watch your words, wench. This Sesshoumaru does not tolerate insolence," he warned.

Her eyes flashed indignantly. "I have a name, Sesshoumaru-sama. It is Kagome. Get that? Ka-Go-Me."

He just stared at her. Did she think that he did not know her name? How could he have avoided knowing her name with that hanyou, Inuyasha yelling it at the top of his lungs each time they battled?

Obviously unperturbed by his stare, she merely grumbled under her breath. His heightened sense of hearing picked up the words. Something about unreasonable youkais. Sesshoumaru felt his jaw twitch.

She lifted her eyes to stare at him expectantly. "So? Anything else? Can I go now?"

"You would be wise to discipline your power." Sesshoumaru practically choked the words out. It galled him to give her this sort of advice, but if he did not, she might never be able to completely heal him.

The human girl threw her hands in the air, her expression showing her frustration. "Easy for you to say!"

"It requires practice," he told her impatiently.

She pointed at his arm, smirking. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing now. Practicing."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed by a fraction. He did not like the thought of being an object she practiced her powers on. "You will practice away from this Sesshoumaru."

She looked amused. "Scared of being purified?" she mocked.

He glanced down at her, knowing that his expression showed her his disdain. "You can never purify this Sesshoumaru."

Her brows furrowed as she appeared to think. "What makes you think that? You're a youkai and I can purify you."

"This Sesshoumaru is resistant to purification such as yours and the barrier around Mount Hakurei."

Her frown deepened as her eyes went to his arm. "But it burns you."

"It burns the silk. This Sesshoumaru merely felt a jolt. Lowly youkais would suffer a worse fate under your purification. And even weak hanyous like Inuyasha."

Eyes flashing, she retorted, "Inuyasha's not weak! And I will never harm him like that."

"This training would not be necessary should you decide to utilize your miko powers against Inuyasha," he pointed out flatly.

Any normal being would have utilized whatever power they have within to protect themselves, but not this wench. She had enough miko power to subdue Inuyasha, and yet, she chose not to use it. Had she no sense of self-preservation?

She just stared at him disbelievingly.

"However, you will refrain from killing that worthless hanyou, even accidentally. Inuyasha's worthless life is this Sesshoumaru's to take."

The look of disbelief on her face intensified, and Sesshoumaru began to feel strangely unnerved. It was an unfamiliar feeling and he did not like it.

Finally, she sputtered, "You're warning me to make sure I don't accidentally kill Inuyasha just so that one day you might kill him?"

"This Sesshoumaru _will_ kill him," he corrected.

Shaking her head, she began to chuckle.

His eyes narrowed into slits, but she did not notice it. Why was she chuckling? Sesshoumaru failed to see the humor in the situation.

Her chuckles became outright laughter as she bent double, clutching her midsection.

Perhaps the utilization of her powers had strained the wench to the point where she could not control herself. That was certainly explained her lack of fear towards him. There was no other explanation for her insolence.

Feeling somewhat baffled by the situation, Sesshoumaru decided that he should just walk away, lest he gave in to the almost overwhelming urge to strangle her skinny human neck. He would deny himself that satisfaction, at least until he regained full use of both his arms.

* * *

Kagome groaned as she turned around in her sleeping bag. Unwilling to wake up just yet, she kept her eyes shut tightly against the bright glare of the sun seeping through her closed eyelids. She could hear her companions stirring around her. 

It had been a week since her agreement with Sesshoumaru had come into effect. Just last evening, she had been to see him in the designated clearing. And like the two other times, she had woken up the next morning feeling achy and completely drained.

She did not know if her condition was the result of Sesshoumaru's relentless training or the side-effect of exerting her miko powers for a prolonged amount of time.

According to Kaede, she should only feel weaker for a few hours before she regained her usual strength. However, that had not been true for her. She had slept through the whole night and yet, this morning she was nowhere close to feeling fresh. It occurred to her that she might be doing something wrong. But what?

She rolled over again, stretching her sore muscles. At least something was going right. Sesshoumaru's training was rigorous, and he was a tough taskmaster, but Kagome felt that in those three lessons, she had actually begun to improve. She had even managed to land a few hits on Jaken now, she thought with a grin. Remembering Jaken's livid expression when she had managed to knock him down, her grin grew wider.

She heard shuffling nearby, but kept her eyes shut. Maybe they would get the hint and leave her to sleep for a while longer.

She heard a whisper from Miroku. "She must be having a good dream."

Then she felt a wandering hand on her backside. Her eyes snapped open instantly. "MIROKU!" she yelled in outrage, jack-knifing into a sitting position.

Her fist connected with his chin and he flew backwards, landing with a thump on the ground. Kagome jumped to her feet and glared at the sheepish-looking houshi. He chuckled nervously, rubbing his sore chin.

Sango stepped up beside her, shaking her head disapprovingly. "He'll never learn, will he?"

"Kagome-neesan!" Shippou exclaimed as he bounced into her arms.

"Good morning, Shippou," Kagome greeted. Resigning to herself that she might as well begin the day, she bent down to grab the necessities for her morning routine.

"You look tired, Kagome-chan," Sango observed, her concern showing on her face.

Kagome nodded. "Just a little."

Still cradled in her arms, Shippou's ears suddenly perked up. "Did you hear that?" he asked in a nervous whisper.

The three of them frowned.

"Heard what?" Miroku asked, getting up and dusting himself.

Shippou's eyes rounded in fear. "T-that…" his voice wavered unsteadily.

"KAGOME!"

"SHIPPOU!

Kagome swallowed hard. It was a distant sound, but she heard it alright. There was no way she could mistake the voice, or the tone for that matter. Eyes large in her face, Kagome turned to Sango.

"Inuyasha," both of them exclaimed in unison.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Big hugs and thanks for reading and reviewing by fic, especially to koori Youkai Hime, Wudelfin, mangadreams, Kitsune Kira, icy roses, S. T. Nickolian, bluediamond-hime, Youkai no Miko, Kaze, serasvictoria666, kinkylittlelady69, JheyTTernallie and llebreknit. I hope that you'll enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

**A Simple Legacy by elle6778 - Chapter 5**

Shippou's eyes rounded in fear. "T-that…" his voice wavered unsteadily.

"KAGOME!"

"SHIPPOU!"

Kagome swallowed hard. It was a distant sound, but she heard it alright. There was no way she could mistake the voice, or the tone for that matter. Eyes large in her face, Kagome turned to Sango.

"Inuyasha," both of them said together.

"SANGO!"

"SHIPPOU!"

Shippou began to tremble. "H-he sounds m-m-mad."

The kitsune began to inch away from the direction Inuyasha's voice was coming from, burying himself deeper into Kagome's arms. Worried, Kagome looked down at Shippou. The kitsune was right, Inuyasha sounded mad. No, he sounded downright furious. Not that she did not understand why.

Miroku smiled nervously, his eyes darting around. "Ah, I think I have something to do in the village nearby…"

Before he could escape, Sango grabbed his sleeve. "Are you thinking of running, houshi?" she asked darkly.

Miroku closed his eyes and fingered his prayer beads, his lips moving in silent prayer.

"MIROKU!!"

Kagome bit her lips as Miroku gulped, his eyes snapping open instantly. Sango just stood there with Miroku's sleeve fisted firmly in her hand, preventing him from taking off.

"KAGOME!"

Kagome flinched. The volume of his shouts was increasing at a rapid rate, which meant that he was getting closer by the second. Stiffening her spine, she took a fortifying breath and waited for the inevitable.

Inuyasha arrived in a flurry of red and white, panting heavily. Dust flew around him as he skidded to a halt in front of them. His golden eyes were narrowed in anger as he pinned his gaze on them, one by one, until it landed and remained on Kagome.

Kagome barely saw him move. In a blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of her, glaring down.

"You put me to sleep," he snarled accusingly.

Shippou scrambled off her arms hurriedly, but Kagome stood her ground. "No. Kaede did, not me," she said in the calmest voice she could muster in the face of his wrath.

"Why?! Why did you-" He suddenly paused, his nose twitching. Frowning, he leaned closer to her and sniffed.

Kagome watched as he slowly straightened, his golden eyes narrowing further as understanding dawned. It was not hard to guess what Inuyasha had detected. She had not taken a bath after her session last night. With a sense of smell like his, there was no way he could fail to recognize Sesshoumaru's scent.

"Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha growled. "Why is his scent on you?"

Kagome rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Why do you think his scent is on me?"

Inuyasha growled low. "I told you I'll kill the bastard! You didn't have to do this, Kagome!"

Kagome planted her hands on her hips. "Oh? And did you even bother to ask if we managed to get him to give us his fang?"

"He will not." Inuyasha snorted derisively, shaking his head. "Not a chance."

Her eyes twinkled. "Think again, Inuyasha."

The hanyou's eyes widened in disbelief as he froze. "He did?" he choked out.

Kagome nodded, a smile creeping onto her lips. "Yeah."

For once, Inuyasha was speechless. Kagome could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. He was probably wondering why his half-brother had agreed to help. Kagome had to admit that she, too, had been surprised.

"He agreed in exchange for his arm?" he asked suspiciously.

Kagome hesitated for a fraction of a second before she nodded again. There was no need to tell Inuyasha of Sesshoumaru's additional stipulations or her training sessions. Inuyasha did not need to know. Right? "We'll get his fang when his arm is completely restored. It's probably going to take another six or seven weeks."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Inuyasha huffed. "Feh! He'll never give it up. He's lying."

Kagome's eyes flashed in irritation. Sesshoumaru might be an arrogant pain in the ass, but so far, he had given them no reason to doubt his words. He had held up to his end of the bargain in terms of training her, and he was doing a good job of it too.

"He's not lying, Inuyasha," she said tightly, not unaware how odd it was for her to defend Sesshoumaru.

Inuyasha blinked once, and then his eyes narrowed. "You're defending him." His hackles rose and he pointed at her. "Why are you on his side?" he asked accusingly.

Kagome ground her teeth together, irritated because the hanyou was being his usual unreasonable self. "Give him a chance, alright! What makes you think he wouldn't keep his word?"

Inuyasha leaned in close to her. "Because he's Sesshoumaru!" he snarled, sounding as if that name itself was enough reason to distrust the youkai.

"So what? You need his help this time, Inuyasha. So just suck it up!"

Inuyasha growled. "I told you I can get his fang without this. You should have stayed out of it."

Kagome planted her hands on her hips. "No, I cannot! I can't let you go get yourself killed."

"Are you saying that I'll lose?" His voice was dangerously low. "You underestimate me, Kagome.'

Kagome's lips compressed into a thin line. "It's not that. Sesshoumaru is not that easy to kill, Inuyasha. And I won't let you kill your own brother anyway." Her voice was sounding more shrill by the second.

"_Half-_brother!" Inuyasha corrected with another growl.

Sango stepped between them, a hand on each chest, holding them apart. Kagome was breathing heavily, trying to contain her rising fury. Inuyasha's fists were clenched tight as he glared at her.

"You need to calm down." Sango's voice was firm. "Both of you!"

Kagome continued to glare at Inuyasha, resisting the temptation to subdue him. She was not backing down from this battle of wills, whether Inuyasha liked it or not. How could he expect her to sit back and do nothing when he threatened to kill Sesshoumaru? It was suicide. She did not want her friend to come to this sort of harm when there was another way to solve the problem.

Inuyasha was the one who finally broke their eye contact. "Keh! Do what you want. In the end, I'll kill him anyway."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome gritted out in warning.

Without another word, he tossed her a mutinous look and leapt into a tree. Once settled, he turned his head pointedly away from her.

No sound could be heard in the campsite apart from the soft gurgle of the stream in the distance and the whispers of the trees as they swayed in the breeze. The dreaded confrontation over, the rest of them went back to their morning tasks, trying to pretend that everything was alright.

* * *

The small fireplace in the middle of the study burned bright, the crackling wood occasionally throwing up bright sparks into the air. Shadows danced gracefully on the bamboo-lined wall, appearing eerily alive. The large room was sparsely furnished and it gave an impression of collected calm. 

Sesshoumaru sat cross-legged in front of the low table, tapping his clawed fingers against the paperwork in front of him. He should be dealing with the affairs of the Western Lands, however, his mind kept straying to his arm.

And the human miko who was responsible for its growth.

The sessions always ended with varying results. Sometimes his arm would grow more than other times, but her powers always fluctuated wildly towards the end. It was as if the strength of it reached a level at which she was unable to control it. His sleeve had been singed on a regular basis for the last couple of weeks, and the hassle of replacing his kimono was becoming so much of an annoyance that he considered just taking it off.

At the rate they were going, he highly doubted that he would have his arm back in the next six or seven weeks. The thought left a sour taste in his mouth. It was just not acceptable.

Although the wench had outwardly dismissed his grudgingly given advice to endeavor to control her powers, he had sensed in the last few weeks that she had been trying harder. However, her efforts had appeared to be futile. The wench just simply did not know how to do it. From what he could see, she was not really bonding with her powers, but instead, she was trying too hard. Almost as if she was fighting it every inch of the way. Whoever that had trained her obviously did a deplorable job.

Sesshoumaru continued to tap his clawed finger, his brow slightly furrowed in thought.

In a way, her miko powers could be likened to his youki. Those were powers which resulted from the person's own strength, not any external source. As an extension of oneself, those powers were similar to a limb. Assuming that this was indeed the case, all the wench had to do was to command the power within, and focus the strength before she let it out. While all the while remembering not to force it.

At least, that was how he dealt with his own youki.

Perhaps that was something the wench needed to know.

* * *

Kagome's entire body was held a stiff as a board when she made her way to the clearing to meet Sesshoumaru. The reason for her discomfort was walking behind her, muttering ever so often under his breath. 

She had tried to prevent him from coming, but Inuyasha refused to listen to her. He had been subdued many times, but with the weakening of the rosary, he had always recovered enough to continue chasing after her. And now, she was at a loss of how to lose him. She had no doubt that Sesshoumaru would not welcome Inuyasha's presence. After all, she was supposed to turn up alone.

Also, if Inuyasha stayed, he would find out that Sesshoumaru was training her. For some reason, she still did not want Inuyasha or any of the rest to know this. Not just yet, anyway. The thought of it made her feel uncomfortable, like she was betraying them or something like that.

She sighed heavily when she reached the empty clearing. Why couldn't things be simple for once? Settling down on a rock ledge, she propped her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands, prepared to wait for Sesshoumaru's arrival.

Inuyasha remained stuck close behind her, his eyes scanning the area suspiciously. Kagome wanted to roll her eyes at him. Inuyasha knew that Sesshoumaru was coming, so did it matter which direction the taiyoukai arrived from?

As if on queue, Inuyasha started growling deep in his throat. Sesshoumaru appeared a short while later.

Ignoring Inuyasha, the Western Lord said in his usual disdainful tone, "Wench. The hanyou's presence is not acceptable."

Before she could answer, Inuyasha butted in. "Keh. I'm staying whether you like it or not."

Sesshoumaru simply crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't look at her like that!" Inuyasha snarled, taking a step towards the taiyoukai.

Kagome's eyes glinted in annoyance. Inuyasha was making things worse every time he opened his mouth. "Inuyasha…"

"Shut up, Kagome! Let me deal with this."

The muscle under her eyes ticked.

"OSUWARI!"

Inuyasha landed face down on the ground and began to curse violently.

Turning to Sesshoumaru, she said placatingly, "Look, he won't disturb us, okay?"

Golden eyes narrowed at her. "We have an agreement, Wench."

Kagome groaned. Both of them were just as stubborn as each other. It must be a family thing. Yes, that must be it. Stubborn dogs. And she was caught right in the middle.

Choosing the less dangerous one, she turned to him with a pleading look. "Inuyasha. Could you just leave us alone for a while? It won't take long, only a few hours."

Getting up on his feet, Inuyasha growled. "I won't leave you alone here. Even for a few hours. Not with him."

She exhaled a sigh of exasperation. Inuyasha was making this harder than it needed to be. "I've done this before and it's fine. Really."

Inuyasha looked suspiciously at Sesshoumaru, and then back at Kagome. "Why are you on his side? What's really going on? What is he doing to you?"

Kagome's eyes widened. What was Inuyasha implying? Could he be thinking that she and Sesshoumaru…Heat flooded her face as the implications sank in. Shocked into silence, she could only stare at Inuyasha dumbly.

Unfortunately, Inuyasha seemed to have taken her silence as a confirmation of his suspicions. His entire body shook and he clenched his hands into fists. Baring his fangs, he glared at Sesshoumaru. "I'll KILL you!"

"You're not capable of it, little brother," Sesshoumaru retorted dryly.

"Don't call me little brother! And don't you DARE you lay your filthy paws on Kagome, you bastard!" Inuyasha ranted furiously.

Kagome had heard enough.

"OSUWARI!"

Breathing heavily, she glared down at the groaning red pile on the ground. "Inuyasha, if you even suggest something like that again, I'll personally make sure you remain face-planted in the ground for the rest of your miserable life!"

Inuyasha mumbled something incoherent, his fists thumping the ground in frustration. Kagome just continued to glare at his back.

"Jaken."

At Sesshoumaru's calm voice, Kagome turned her attention to the approaching toad youkai.

"Bind the hanyou and bring him out of hearing distance. Get Ah-Un to watch him," Sesshoumaru ordered.

Kagome started to protest indignantly. "Hey…You can't do that. He's-"

He interjected coldly. "You will free him after our session."

Knowing that she had no other choice, Kagome slumped in resignation.

Sesshoumaru leveled an unreadable look at her before he picked up the katana she had been using. Catching the katana he tossed at her, Kagome looked around for her little training companion. "Where's Rin?"

"She's resting. We shall commence," he stated tonelessly.

As usual, the training session flew by at a rapid pace. Jaken, when he returned from securing Inuyasha Kami-knows-where, was again her unwilling sparring partner. This time, Sesshoumaru put her through attack and defense combinations. She had come to realize that the set combinations were designed to improve her reflexes and her strength. It was not easy, but she had every intention of mastering everything Sesshoumaru imparted to her. After all, how often did a human get a chance to be trained by a taiyoukai?

Kagome was enjoying the challenge so much that when Sesshoumaru called a halt to it, she was reluctant to stop.

"Is it time already?" she asked, a little mournfully.

Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod. "There's something else you need to learn."

She stepped towards him, curious as to what he had in his mind. With Sesshoumaru, one could never tell. She sometimes wished that she could read his expressions, but so far, that proved to be a waste of time. All she had seen so far in terms of his expressions were disdain, annoyance and smug-satisfaction.

"The strength of your miko powers needs guidance," he told her.

Kagome instantly slumped. They had been through this before when she burnt his sleeve for the first time. He would never understand that she had tried so many times before without success. "Sesshoumaru-sama, I know that. But…"

He carried on as if she had not spoken. "Try this. Close your eyes and call forth your powers."

Kagome hesitated. Did she trust Sesshoumaru enough to do this? Would he do something to her powers? In the future, they had things like hypnosis and such. Was Sesshoumaru going to utilize some sort of youkai version of it?

He gave her a warning look. "Wench…" That one word carried a wealth of warning.

He had never broken his word to her before, she told herself. Sighing in resignation, she closed her eyes. Inhaling deeply, she concentrated until she felt her power rise and threatened to spill. "What next?"

"Your power is an extension of yourself, not something separate. Find it with your inner eye. Try to move it out, but just a little and keep it close to you."

Kagome focused on imagining the force inside her as an arm, a glowing, translucent limb. And then she tried to move it. A jolt ran through her body as her imaginary arm escaped her. She expelled a groan of frustration. She just could not do it.

"Manipulate it. It's part of you." Although he did not sound exactly encouraging, his voice was strangely calming.

Kagome frowned and tried to make the fingers of her imaginary arm wiggle. A finger moved, and then another. Satisfied at her success, a small smile curved her lips. She then made the fingers clench. The translucent fingers curled inwards on command.

"Reach out. Keep it contained."

Taking a deep breath, she attempted to stretch the arm. It reached out further, going beyond her mind's eyes.

"Maintain the position. Open your eyes. Slowly, wench!"

Obeying his words, she lifted her lids. Then she gasped.

Both her arms were stretched out, palms out. A pearlescent beam of energy, tinged with purple, extended outwards from each of her hands, glowing steadily. Experimentally, she moved one hand. The narrow beam moved together with it like an extended arm. Her eyes widened in awe.

"Now, call it back."

Holding her breath, she willed it to return. To her amazement, the glowing beam gradually shortened until it zipped back into her arms.

Kagome blinked slowly as she gazed at her still extended arms like it was an alien form. She did not know that she could do that. The only time she remembered doing something like this was when the Shikon jewel was still inside her body and she had unknowingly blasted the centipede youkai in the well with her hand.

She turned her gaze to the stoic youkai near her. "Sesshoumaru-sama…" she faltered, unsure what she wanted to say to him. This was something she had always wanted, to be able to use her gift. And of all things, Sesshoumaru, a taiyoukai who hated her and Inuyasha, had to be the one who made it possible.

"Hn." He turned away. "Your control is still lacking."

Her jaw dropped. _What?_ That was the last thing she had expected him to say. And to think that she was about to thank him as well.

"You will use the same method to restore this Sesshoumaru's arm," he ordered haughtily.

Kagome lowered her eyes, hiding a smirk. What was she thinking? That he would praise her for her success in getting a grip, literally, on her powers? She should have known better. This was Sesshoumaru after all.

"Of course," she chirped cheerfully.

"This Sesshoumaru trust that his kimono will remain intact tonight." It was an order.

She blinked up at him and grinned. The mighty Load of the Western Lands was concerned about his wardrobe. Who would have guessed that? "With my new skills, you'll be as good as new in no time."

"Hn. Commence. This Sesshoumaru is weary of listening to the whining of the hanyou."

Hanyou?

Inuyasha! She gasped in horror. Inuyasha's predicament had completely slipped her mind. Unlike her, Sesshoumaru must have been able to hear Inuyasha even over a large distance. She was appalled at herself. After all, Inuyasha was someone she cared for.

Quickly, she rolled up Sesshoumaru's sleeve. It had grown almost to his elbows. Just a few more times would do it. But now, with her improved skills, she could get Sesshoumaru's arm to grow faster and Inuyasha would get better sooner than she had anticipated.

Focus, Kagome, she told herself.

And she began.

* * *

The familiar tingling began. Sesshoumaru realized with satisfaction that this time, it felt different. Her power was steadier, stronger. Firmer. 

Sesshoumaru eyed the miko silently. She was still wearing that intense look on concentration she always wore when she did this, but this time, her internal struggle was absent. Instead, she appeared calm and collected.

It was working, he thought smugly. He was not sure that it would, but his youkai method actually worked with her miko powers. A twinge of unease coursed through him. Somehow, by teaching her something like this, he felt as if he might have just betrayed the youkai community.

He knew that if it had worked, her control of her powers would mean that it would become more deadly towards other youkais. All except for a select few like him, who was practically immune to her purification.

But did he really care what the rest of them thought?

His eyes hardened. No. This Sesshoumaru answered to no one.

A long while later, the glow between her hands and his skin gradually faded, leaving a warm tingling feeling in the stub. No explosion, no sputtering of purifying energy, no singed sleeves. Nothing. He glanced down, and noted with satisfaction that it had grown more this time than the last few times combined.

"I did it!" the miko jumped up in excitement, her eyes shining brightly. "Did you see that? It's under control!"

"Indeed." His tone was flat. This was the first time she had the energy to bounce around after the session.

The bright light in her eyes subsided a little at his tone, and then she brightened again. "This means we'll finish faster, right?"

Yes, it would, he admitted to himself. This meant that she would be out of his hair sooner, much to his relief. Good.

"Isn't this great, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Hn."

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Many thanks to kinkylittlelady69, S.T.Nickolian, Dark Darianna Minamino, Kaze, mangadreams, Kagome2691, serasvictoria666, Nameless Little Girl, Wudelfin, greeneyes, jHeyTTernallie, xkoolshamanx, Angelic Devil 1234, bluediamond-hime and llebreknit for reviewing the last chapter! It's great to know that you're enjoying the story! Now, onwards with the next chapter…

* * *

**A Simple Legacy by elle6778 – Chapter 6**

She was late.

She was late and he, Sesshoumaru was reduced to waiting for her, a mere human wench. It was unacceptable. He watched the path she had been taking for the last three week, his temper turning fouler by the second. He was impatient to get the training over with so that his arm could grow past his elbows.

His initial suspicions about her powers had been confirmed. The miko had been utilizing her powers inefficiently, thus unnecessarily draining herself. Ever since she had gotten her power in control, the progress had been rapid. Not to mention she had stopped resembling the dead each time their sessions concluded.

But now, the wench had the nerve to be late. Irritated, Sesshoumaru growled softly under his breath.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin's questioning voice reached his ears.

He looked down at his human ward.

"Where is Kagome-neesan?" the little girl asked, her eyes bright with question. "Is Kagome-neesan in trouble?"

Sesshoumaru looked at the path again. Rin had a point. The girl had probably gotten herself into trouble. From what he could tell so far, getting into trouble was something she excelled at.

The image of her with Inuyasha tagging along a week ago came to mind and his eyes narrowed. That hanyou was probably causing problems again.

"Is Sesshoumaru-sama going to find Kagome-neesan?" Rin questioned again, completely unperturbed by his lack of response.

He gave her an affirmative nod. "Wait here with Jaken."

Then he took off into the air.

It did not take him long to find them. In fact, it looked as if the human girl had been on the way to meet him but was intercepted by Inuyasha. The wench and the hanyou were standing facing each other. She had managed to hold her own against Inuyasha for a while now, it seemed, but not without consequence. She was worn out, her breathing clearly ragged as she dragged in gulps of air.

With his sharp eyes, Sesshoumaru noted that the rosary that usually surrounded Inuyasha's neck was now lying broken on the forest floor. Inuyasha had already transformed into his youkai form and was eyeing the girl with an unmistakable look of possessiveness and lust.

"Pathetic," Sesshoumaru muttered under his breath, wondering how the uncontrollable hanyou could be related to him.

Right at that moment, Inuyasha charged forward, forcing the wench to take a step back as she fired an energy ball to his feet. So that was how she had been keeping hanyou at bay, Sesshoumaru thought as his eyes flicked between them.

He continued to watch with growing impatience as she continued to fire at Inuyasha's feet, deliberately avoiding the body. The foolish wench still refused to harm the worthless hanyou even though she was in danger. Where was her sense of self-preservation?

Much as Sesshoumaru balked at the thought of rescuing the wench, he realized that he had no choice. Not if he wanted his whole arm back. With that thought, he launched back into the air and landed gracefully opposite the red-eyed hanyou turned full-youkai.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome exclaimed in astonishment.

To Sesshoumaru's surprise, for once, she looked relieved to see him. It was such a change from her usual wariness that for a second, he just stared at her before he realized that this was no time to mull over the idiosyncrasies of human reactions.

"Get out of my way!" Inuyasha snarled viciously as he swiped wildly in the air.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. He hated getting caught in his brother's affair with the wench, but this time, he had a stake in it. A dead or even injured wench was something he could not allow. The wench needed to survive long enough to complete their agreement.

"You bastard! I said, GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Inuyasha snarled again and immediately charged like a maddened bull.

Sesshoumaru sidestepped the attack easily, keeping his eyes trained on Inuyasha's bloody claws. The wench's blood. A quick glance at the wench told him that his half-brother had managed to injure the girl's arm.

The arm that she needed to regenerate his limb. A soft growl escaped his lips as Sesshoumaru's blood simmered.

"You will cease, Inuyasha." His words contained no lack of warning.

Inuyasha's eyes burned redder. "I will not let you have her!"

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The hanyou must have completely lost his mind if he thought that he, Sesshoumaru, would want to steal a mere human girl.

No, he did not want to _have_ her. He only needed her skills to restore his arm.

With that thought, Sesshoumaru began to attack.

He unleashed his Whips of Lights, directing the golden strands of energy towards Inuyasha. Unfortunately for him, Inuyasha seemed to have expected it. Either that, or it was pure luck that the hanyou had managed to sidestep the whips.

With a roar of rage, Inuyasha charged again. Dealing with his blows was not difficult. The hanyou was too unfocused, his attacks too wild and unplanned to hit the intended target.

In the background, he could hear the wench screaming for them to stop, but he ignored her. However, he promised himself that he would remind the wench of her side of the agreement. The wench had agreed not to stand in his way during his battles. If this was how she planned to honor her promises, this Sesshoumaru shall take the appropriate steps to remind her of her place.

"Stop it, the two of you!" her shrill scream rang in the air, piercing his ears.

Distracted briefly, Sesshoumaru did not see Inuyasha until the hanyou was practically on top of him.

Inuyasha's claw flew at him, and with a rip, Sesshoumaru realized that he had sustained an injury. The stinging in his right shoulder confirmed as much. With a growl of irritation, he snapped his only arm out and caught the Inuyasha in the face, throwing the hanyou against a tree. The trunk cracked at the impact, and broken tree barks exploded around them.

Before Inuyasha could get up, Sesshoumaru planted his feet on his chest and sank his claws around the hanyou's neck. Inuyasha let out a frustrated snarl, his chest heaving from his previous exertion.

Sesshoumaru could hear the rapid footsteps of the girl approaching him.

"No! Sesshoumaru, don't do it!"

His eyes not leaving Inuyasha's blood-red ones, Sesshoumaru bit out, "He will not interrupt again."

"If you kill him, I won't heal you!" she threatened, her voice breaking slightly.

His head snapped back to look at her, his eyes narrowing. "You will keep to your end of the agreement, wench."

Her chin tilted up stubbornly, a look he had grown to understand in the past weeks. She was not budging from this, he realized with irritation. But he guessed that if he harmed Inuyasha, she would no longer require his assistance. As a result of that, she would see no reason to restore his arm. He was not stupid enough to let that happen.

With a snarl, he raised his arm and delivered a blow to Inuyasha's head, knocking him out cold.

* * *

Kagome sighed wearily as she sneaked a glance at the unconscious Inuyasha. He was now secured to a large tree by ropes. Jaken had been sent back to locate Tetsusaiga and had found it back in the campsite. The katana was now sheathed securely to Inuyasha's waist. She hoped that when he would remain unconscious at least until her session with Sesshoumaru was done. 

He had scared her again. Really scared her. She reached up to touch her blemish-free neck. And he had tried to bite her neck, much to her alarm. That had been when she decided to fire her energy balls to get him off her. Kagome closed her eyes in despair. This agreement with Sesshoumaru was too long. From the looks of things, Inuyasha might even manage to ravage her before the end of the deal.

A string of muttered grumbles reached her ears and she looked down.

Jaken's expression would have been funny if Kagome was not feeling so agitated by the entire incident. He was standing on the log she was sitting on, tending to her injured arm. Waves of resentment hit Kagome each time he tightened the bandage on her arm.

Rin, on the other hand, was beaming with childish vigor as she tried to assist the toad youkai. Kagome did not have the heart to tell the enthusiastic child that Jaken probably preferred not to treat her injuries at all. And that he was only doing it because Sesshoumaru ordered him to.

Surreptitiously, she snuck a glance at the silent taiyoukai across the clearing, sitting with an arm propped on his knee. His head was slightly bowed, appearing to be deep in thought.

She was surprised that he had actually listened to her when she asked him to stop during the fight. She had been afraid that he would just kill Inuyasha off.

As if he sensed her perusal, the taiyoukai lifted his head and their eyes clashed, golden meet dark brown.

At that moment, Jaken hopped off the log and walked towards Sesshoumaru. With a respectful bow, he said, "The wench had been tended to, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru have Jaken a short nod, not breaking his gaze from her.

"What happened?" he asked curtly.

Kagome blinked blankly at the question, not exactly sure what he was asking.

"Inuyasha. Why was he following you?" he clarified his question.

Her expression cleared. "Oh." Tearing her gaze away from him, she frowned slightly. She did not know why Inuyasha had followed her, or even why he had suddenly abandoned Tetsusaiga.

"I left them at the camp, as usual and walked here. Inuyasha suddenly jumped out from nowhere in his youkai self and started snarling at me." She paused and sighed. "It's the usual thing. He called me Kikyo, and looked like he wanted to kill me and then when I corrected him, he seemed to realize I'm Kagome and he…he…" she faltered, remembering how Inuyasha had pounced on her.

She remembered the lust in his eyes. And she remembered how he had refused to let go until she hit him in the jaw exactly like how Sesshoumaru had taught her just a few days ago. Not knowing what else to do, she had fired her energy balls at him to keep him at bay.

"He lusted after you," Sesshoumaru added flatly. "It's not hard to say."

Kagome snapped her eyes up and glared at him. "You're not the one being attacked, so how would you know?"

"Hn." After a short pause, he asked, "What happened to your subduing charm?"

She shook her head slowly. The power of the rosary had been wearing out recently. She should have expected this to happen. "It broke. I subdued him once too often and it broke." Her voice was small.

Grimacing, she recalled how Inuyasha had looked then. His gleefully satisfied expression when he had realized that she had no way to subdue him without the rosary gave her shudders. It was as if she had let loose a wild beast, or rather, a wild youkai.

A moment of silence passed.

"You defended yourself." It was a statement, not a question.

She looked at him, a little surprised that he had acknowledged it. "Yes. I tried. I got in a few hits as well, but he just wouldn't go down."

"Your human skills are far more inferior to his hanyou strength. You should have used your miko powers to gain advantage."

"I did," she gritted out. "I fired energy balls at him."

"You aimed at the ground. It was ineffective and a waste of your powers," Sesshoumaru pointed out disdainfully.

Kagome bristled. "We've been through this before. I don't want to harm Inuyasha."

"So?"

Kagome flung her arms up in frustration. "Forget it! You won't understand."

"You insult me, wench." His voice was cold, and a frisson of unease swept through her.

But she refused to let him intimidate her. Eyes flashing angrily, she snapped, "Look here, Fluffy-boy. We have an agreement. And that agreement does not include me holding my tongue."

His eyes flickered, but his expression remained stoic. "You overstep yourself, wench."

She stiffened. She just about had enough of all these inuyoukais, hanyou or not, they were all full of themselves. What was wrong with them? First it was Inuyasha, now it was Sesshoumaru. What was so difficult about calling her by her name?

"DON'T call me wench!" she bit out.

Sesshoumaru just stared at her silently. Then he seemed to arrive at some sort of decision.

"Very well…Miko." He sounded bored, like the issue was not worth arguing about.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying not to groan. It still was not her name, but at least it was better than being called a wench, she thought irritably. Perhaps, one day, she might be promoted to a 'Kagome'.

Wearing a thoughtful look, Sesshoumaru stood up. "You will not return to your camp."

Her jaw dropped in shock. What the hell did he mean by that? "What are you talking about? I will go back after we're done today."

He shook his head. "No."

Planting her hands on her hips, she glared at him. "Do you care to explain why?"

"You're exposing yourself to harm, Miko. That is unacceptable as long as the healing of this Sesshoumaru's arm remains uncompleted. You will not return to them."

Her eyes bulged. She could not believe she was hearing this. Did he expect her to wander around by herself? "And where am I supposed to go?"

A moment of silence passed as they regarded each other wordlessly.

Then he broke the silence. "You will come with this Sesshoumaru."

Stunned into complete silence, Kagome just gaped at him.

Inuyasha would not like this.

* * *

Sesshoumaru gazed down at the hesitating human. 

Much as he despised the idea, he had no choice but to bring her along with him. With the responsibility of his lands he had no time to keep an eye on her to ensure that she remained intact long enough to heal him. The only solution was to bring her home with him. His castle was impenetrable, making it the perfect place to maintain her safety.

A human in his house. The thought did not sit well with him.

Rin was different, somehow. But this wench, this miko was a real human. A wench at it. Sesshoumaru swallowed a groan, telling himself that it was only going to be for a short period until his arm was fully restored.

He had been able to tell the exact moment she realized the wisdom of his words. Her eyes had flashed in confusion, followed by indignation and when her expression finally cleared, there had been an unmistakable look of weary acceptance in it. Good, she was not stupid.

"Alright, you win," she said grudgingly.

Hardly, he thought to himself. Winning did not involve having a wench in his castle.

"You will gather your belongings."

"My things are at the campsite." She paused. "How about Inuyasha?"

Sesshoumaru turned to Jaken. "Jaken. Place the hanyou on Ah-Un."

It did not take long before they arrived at the empty campsite. Vaguely, Sesshoumaru wondered where the rest of Inuyasha's companions were. The fire at the centre of the camp was smoldering, telling him that they had not returned for a while.

Remaining on the outskirts of the clearing, Sesshoumaru nodded for Ah-Un to drop Inuyasha in the camp. As expected, the miko followed them, wearing a worried look. The wench cared too much of others, Sesshoumaru thought, mildly disgusted.

Rin had spotted a patch of flowers in the forest, and came running to him, her rounded face alight with excitement. "Sesshoumaru-sama! Can Rin pick flowers?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded slightly. As she ran off, he turned to Jaken. "Watch her."

Now used to the command, Jaken nodded. "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Left alone, Sesshoumaru settled himself some distance away from the wench's campsite. Wearing a mildly bored expression, he watched as she fussed over the just awakening Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha. Are you okay?"

Inuyasha groaned and his eyes opened. They were golden. "Kagome?"

Sesshoumaru's amusement grew when he detected the exact moment his half-brother remembered what had happened. The hanyou's face paled and his body shook, a sight that he, Sesshoumaru would remember fondly for some time to come. Then the hanyou's arms reached out and squashed the girl's small body into his chest, ignoring her squeak of surprise.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and searched for patience as he deliberated whether he should order Inuyasha to remove his person from the wench. Miko, he corrected himself reluctantly. After all, this Sesshoumaru did not need the miko to sustain additional injuries. Her wounds might reopen at Inuyasha's inconsiderate treatment.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to hurt you," Inuyasha mumbled into her hair.

The miko's laugh filtered through the air. It sounded forced. "It's alright. You're not yourself, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha lifted his head to gaze into her eyes and then he looked down in remorse. His eyes sharpened. "The rosary…" he gasped as his fingers went to his chest, grasping for the beads that were no longer there.

"It broke. It couldn't stand the strain of your full-youkai blood, I think. After all, it was made to subdue a hanyou," the miko explained softly.

Sesshoumaru could see the myriad of emotions flash across his half-brother's face. Shock was dominant, followed by relief and then, to his surprise, sadness. Why would Inuyasha mourn the loss of something which had the power to subdue him? Why mourn the loss of such indignity? The human blood in Inuyasha must have made him this way, Sesshoumaru thought in disgust.

Tired of waiting watching the shameless display of emotions, he decided to interrupt.

"Miko. Gather your belongings." he ordered calmly, but loud enough for her to hear even with their distance.

Inuyasha's ears picked up, and then he swung around, instantly on his feet. His eyes flashed angrily. "YOU! What are you doing here?"

Before Sesshoumaru could put the insolent hanyou in his place, the human girl interjected, "It's okay, Inuyasha. I'm just going with him until our agreement is over and we sort this mess out."

Inuyasha's eyes bulged. "You're going with HIM?" The rims of his eyes begin to redden.

Sesshoumaru decided that it was time to interject before Inuyasha unleashed his uncontrollable youkai self on her again, deliberately or not.

"Calm yourself. Or do you wish to harm her again?" His voice was smooth, almost indifferent. But inside, Sesshoumaru was feeling anything but calm. He knew that with her injuries, it was unlikely that she would be able to progress with the healing of his arm tonight. And _that_ irked him.

Inuyasha growled, his irritation clear for all to see. "Why you…"

The miko stepped between them. "Stop it, you two." Then she turned around to Inuyasha. "Please, Inuyasha. It's just for a few weeks until he gives us his fang and you'll be back to normal. It's not safe for me to be here."

"I can protect you!" Inuyasha yelled.

"You endangered her more than once," Sesshoumaru pointed out flatly. Why was Inuyasha so reluctant to let her go anyway? Surely the hanyou wanted the fang for the Tetsusaiga.

"Shut up, you bastard!"

Sesshoumaru growled.

"Inuyasha!" the wench admonished.

Sesshoumaru willed himself to hold back the urge to beat the insolent hanyou to a pulp. The only reason he was holding back was so that Inuyasha would not transform again into his youkai form. It would only make things more complicated.

His senses suddenly told him that something was approaching. Sesshoumaru immediately went on the alert.

"KAGOME!"

The high-pitched yell reached Sesshoumaru's sensitive ears, making him wince involuntarily. A red-haired kitsune appeared just then and launched himself clear across the campsite, headed straight for Kagome. With a speed that could not be discerned by human eye, Sesshoumaru dashed forward and grabbed the over-enthusiastic kitsune by his red tail.

The red hairball yelped in alarm, his green eyes going impossibly large.

Bringing the struggling kitsune close to his eyes, Sesshoumaru stated flatly, "She is injured."

The struggling ceased, and the kitsune slumped as he peeked at the wench. "Kagome, you're hurt?" he asked in a small voice.

"Let him go, Sesshoumaru-sama. He means no harm," the wench pleaded.

With a last warning glance, Sesshoumaru released the kitsune and watched as he scampered to the wench, slowing down just as he reached her.

"Kagome-neesan, we tried to stop him, but he was too fast," the kitsune said, his eyes watering as he glanced at Inuyasha accusingly.

Sesshoumaru watched with interest as the human girl picked the fox youkai up in her arms, soothing him. The kitsune called her sister, but Sesshoumaru could tell that the little youkai had adopted the human girl as his surrogate mother. It was an odd thing indeed.

The bushes to his left separated and the taijiya and the houshi ran towards them. Their steps halted when they saw him. The suspicion in their eyes was not hidden.

"Kagome-chan, are you alright?" the taijiya asked cautiously.

The miko stepped forward. "I'm fine. I'm just telling Inuyasha that I'll be traveling with Sesshoumaru for a while until our agreement is over."

Three pairs of eyes widened incredulously. "WHAT?"

The houshi gave her a look of concern. "Why?"

Tired of the incessant chatting, Sesshoumaru interrupted. "The hanyou is unable to control himself around the miko. She will be safe with this Sesshoumaru."

The taijiya and the houshi glance at their friend, noticing her bandaged arm, and then to Inuyasha before their eyes landed back on the miko. A look of horror came across their faces as they realized what had happened. Good, Sesshoumaru thought.

Touching the bandages lightly, the kitsune's lips trembled, and then he began to wail mournfully. Looking distressed, the miko murmured soothingly to him.

Irritated at the sound, Sesshoumaru gave the fox youkai a warning look. Much to Sesshoumaru's relief, the wailing instantly stopped and the kitsune gulped convulsively.

"Miko, we will depart," he stated stonily. "Now." If he did not remove himself from the presence of these fools, Sesshoumaru feared that he might just slaughter them all, arm or not.

"She WILL NOT go with you!" Inuyasha snarled, taking a step forward.

Sesshoumaru looked on impassively as both the taijiya and houshi grabbed the hanyou between them.

"K-Kagome-neesan?" the kitsune said waveringly.

The human girl glanced at Sesshoumaru, and then looked down at the kitsune in her arms longingly and then back at him.

Understanding her unspoken request, Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly in resignation.

"The kitsune may come with us."

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Hey there everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing, though it did cross my mind to wonder if there's something about the last chapter which wasn't quite widely enjoyed due to the sudden drop in reviews. (Scratches head). If there was, please tell me…That's one of the few way a humble writer like me could improve.

* * *

**A Simple Legacy by elle6778 – Chapter 7**

Thin white clouds flew by at an alarming speed against the backdrop of a starry sky, blurring right before her eyes. A shiver wracked her body and Kagome tightened her death grip on Sesshoumaru fur.

Obviously that particular action displeased the mighty lord because Kagome could feel the tightening of his muscles under his chest. Well, it was too bad, wasn't it? She glowered irritably. He could have just put an arm around her instead of leaving her to cling to him like terrified child on his sparkling dust cloud.

She rolled her eyes. What were you thinking, Kagome? Sesshoumaru would never lower himself that way. Yes, he had done it before, but that was when he had kidnapped her from the campsite.

She peeked tentatively to the side, trying to avoid looking down. Somehow, she felt better not knowing how high they were flying. Ah-Un, the two-headed beast was flying close to Sesshoumaru while carrying Rin, Shippou, Jaken and her trusty yellow bag. Gazing at them longingly, she wished that she was there with them, but she guessed that there was not enough space on Ah-Un's back for an additional passenger.

Soon, a vast landscaped area in the distance came into her view. A winding stream weaved across the grassy area before it disappeared into a dense forest. The forest itself surrounded the elevated patch of land, on which stood a sprawling single-level stone and bamboo structure. An open courtyard was centered within the structure, peppered with colorful plants and something which looked like stones.

It was beautiful, Kagome thought.

Sesshoumaru's dust cloud suddenly swooped down, forcing a shriek of surprise from her lips. She clamped her eyes shut and tightened her grip further.

"Cease your whimpering, wench."

She cracked open an eye to give him a one-eyed glare. "I'm not exactly used to flying, you know," she retorted heatedly.

"Indeed." His tone told her that he found her weak.

Gnashing her teeth together, Kagome was wracking her mind for a suitably caustic response when she suddenly felt her feet touching solid ground. Instantly, Sesshoumaru stepped away from her, leaving her to stumble ungracefully as she tried to find her footing.

When she finally managed to steady herself, she looked around to find herself standing in the centre of the courtyard, next to a sculpted stone statue of a massive inuyoukai. This was the place she had seen from the air earlier.

THIS was where Sesshoumaru lived? Her eyes widened in awe.

A tug on her skirt brought her back to the present. She glanced down to find Rin looking at her, with Shippou close behind.

Shippou's emerald green eyes displayed his amazement. "Wow…" he breathed out, his fluffy tail twitching absently.

"Kagome-neesan? Where will you staying?" the child asked, her eyes shining in excitement.

Before Kagome could reply, Sesshoumaru spoke. "You, Miko, will stay in the East Wing together with the kitsune. Do not wander around."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Well, where exactly can I go then? You can't seriously expect me to remain in my room all the time."

"You are allowed in the common areas." He turned to Jaken. "Show the miko and the kitsune their room."

And then he disappeared in a flurry of white silk, leaving Kagome to gape wordlessly. And where exactly were the common areas? Some host Sesshoumaru was, she thought grumpily.

Muttering under his breath, Jaken gestured for her to follow him.

Turning to Shippou, Kagome called out, "Let's go."

With a delighted skip, Rin joined them and the three of them followed Jaken.

* * *

Excited peals of laughter filtered through to him from the half-opened window, distracting the taiyoukai who was seated on a cushion behind a low table. 

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes briefly and began to seek patience within himself. When he opened his eyes, he was no less irritated. Turning back to his work on the low table, he tried to focus, but it proved to be a futile attempt as the sound of Rin's and the kitsune's laughter intensified.

A muscle ticking in his jaw, Sesshoumaru stood up and headed to the window, fully prepared to give them a piece of his mind.

However, when he looked out, the sight that greeted his eyes halted his harsh words.

Rin and the kitsune were running around in the landscaped garden while the miko was seated on a bench with her arms stretched out. Three small spheres of pearlescent orbs floated in front of her, teasing Rin and the kitsune with their zipping movements. His ward wore a grin which threatened to split her face and was energetically trying to catch one of the orbs.

Sesshoumaru softened without realizing that he had done so. Rin appeared to be having a lot of fun chasing the miko's energy orbs. The miko must have been practicing this for some time, as the movements of the orbs were smooth and controlled.

"Hn."

She was wasting her energy unnecessarily, even though it was for the enjoyment of her kitsune and his ward. He had not expected the miko to bond so fast with his ward. She had only been staying in his castle for a little more than a week, but she had filled the gaps between their healing and training sessions by spending them with Rin and the kitsune.

At first, he had wondered what they had been doing. Later, he had found out just by chance one day when he was walking to his library to retrieve a scroll. The miko was lying on her stomach with Rin on one side and the kitsune on the other. She had been in the middle of teaching the two youngsters to read and write.

It surprised him that the she has such knowledge, but then again, there was a lot about this miko which surprised him.

Her ability to absorb his teachings astounded him. A quick student, she had taken on everything with an unnatural enthusiasm, which he suspected no one else but the wench was capable of. He also did not understand the strange feeling he had been getting every time she mastered something. If he had to give the feeling a description, he would say that it was not too dissimilar to pride. Not to mention that Jaken was no longer capable of defending himself against the miko, to Sesshoumaru's amusement. Perhaps it was time to bring her training to the next level.

He glanced down at his hand. It had grown past his elbows and now halfway to his wrist. The progress had been rapid ever since he had taught her to manipulate her miko powers. Soon enough, his arm would be completely restored and he would not have to suffer her presence any longer.

Suffer?

Sesshoumaru frowned at the word his mind had chosen to use, unsure if it was an accurate representation of how he actually felt. Perhaps not 'suffer', but 'disturbed' would be more appropriate. He supposed that it could have been worse. The miko seemed to know that he did not appreciate unnecessary contact between them, and had been careful to remain out of his way, much to his relief.

And he had to admit that Rin had been much more cheerful ever since she had gained two new playmates.

"Hn."

His mind had strayed again as it often did of late, he realized in disgust. He placed the blame firmly on the latest arrival to his castle.

Shaking away his thoughts, he walked back to the table and willed himself to focus.

* * *

Four weeks had passed since their agreement and Kagome felt healthier than ever. It occurred to her that it could be something to do with the fact that she had a comfortable futon to sleep in and a balanced diet to sustain her instead of roughing it outdoors. 

The only mar in her happiness at the moment was her missing Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and even Kirara. She had been with them so long, and it felt odd to be without them for the last ten days. And now that they were absent, she sorely wanted to see them.

However, she had the feeling that Sesshoumaru would not let her out of this place before he got his arm back.

In all her time the castle, she barely ever saw the taiyoukai except when they met for training. On occasions, they would bump into each other in the hallway, whereby he would just give her a haughty nod. Kagome wondered if it took him long to get that arrogant look or it simply came naturally to him.

It was a wonder that Rin turned out as cheerful as she was. After all, the child had been with Sesshoumaru for almost three years. Kagome blinked at the sudden thought that Sesshoumaru could not be that bad if he had done so well to raise a child of a species he claimed to despise.

With Shippou's presence, Rin had lost interest in the training and was now more interested in playing with the kitsune. As she should, Kagome thought with a small smile. After all, the two of them rarely had contact with those of their own age.

So, for the third time in a row, Kagome found herself walking to the dojo by herself, the black hakama she wore swishing softly against her legs. She had to admit that the combination of the hakama and its matching cream hakamashita were much more practical for her training sessions than her school uniform.

She winced as she remembered the day Sesshoumaru had ordered her to cover herself decently. The lesson that day had been kicks and as she should have expected, her short green skirt was ill-suited for the lesson. Sesshoumaru's face would have been funny if she had not been so embarrassed.

Reaching the dojo, she glanced around and saw no one. She was a little early, but Jaken and Sesshoumaru should be there soon, she thought as she slid the shoji open and stepped in. She immediately went to the weapons rack and pulled out her weapon of choice.

After going through practically all the different types of weapons in Sesshoumaru's collection, Kagome had found out that the weapon she was most comfortable with was a pair of kodachis. With the shorter blade, it was lighter than the usual katana and she found it easier to maneuver. Unfortunately however, her slave-driver of a master insisted upon her knowledge of all weapons, declaring imperiously that the basic knowledge was necessary.

Kagome sighed as she swung the pair of kodachis around gracefully. She was beginning to get bored training with Jaken as an opponent. She wanted a _real_ opponent to practice on, someone her size. She grinned. Someone like Inuyasha would be good.

"Miko."

Kagome halted her movements and turned to the dojo door. Sesshoumaru was making his way across the mat. Jaken was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Jaken?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru did not turn around when he replied, "He will not be joining us."

Confused, Kagome's eyes followed him as he selected a katana from his vast collection of weapons. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what are you doing?"

Turning to face her with the katana held firmly in his right hand, Sesshoumaru replied blandly, "Commencing your training for this day."

Kagome's eyes widened. She wanted to spar with someone her size, but Sesshoumaru was hardly her size. "Y-You…I'll be sparring with _you_?"

He gave her a hard look. "Miko. Do not waste time. This Sesshoumaru's time could be used for better pursuits."

Kagome hesitated. Fighting with Jaken was one thing, but fighting with Sesshoumaru? He was going to kill her. It did not matter that he was using a normal katana rather than Toukijin. She was nowhere near prepared for this.

"You won't use your youkai powers, right?" she ventured hesitantly.

"You are training to fight youkai, Miko," he pointed out dryly. "It would be wise to learn to do so in the proper manner."

Kagome gulped. She could not deny that he was right, as usual. Come on, Kagome, her inner voice urged. How bad could it be, right? He would not harm her much anyway, considering their agreement. Strengthening her resolve, Kagome nodded firmly.

The attack came out of the blue, too fast for her human eye to detect. Her arms came up reflexively, holding the two kodachis up in a cross in front of her just in time to block the blow. Sesshoumaru did not back off. The pressure on the pair of kodachis increased, pushing her down. Her arms trembled with the strain of holding his katana at bay.

Her panicked eyes went up to find Sesshoumaru staring at her pointedly, obviously trying to get her to remember something. From his uncompromising look, she could tell that he was going to maintain the position until she remembered what it was. She was just going to have to risk something.

Groaning inwardly and hoping that she would live to see the next sunrise, Kagome allowed her arm to go slack and immediately twisted under Sesshoumaru's arm. She spun in a circle to end up behind him. Quickly she turned to face him just as he turned around.

Yes, she grinned in satisfaction. That was the correct move.

Breathing hard, she kept her eyes trained on his. He had taught her to watch her opponent's eyes, because that was one of the ways to gauge where the next attack would come from. His golden eyes however, told her nothing.

Before she could process what was happening, Sesshoumaru launched up towards the ceiling of the dojo. Kagome's eyes rounded incredulously as he dropped down from above at a breakneck speed.

"You can't be serious!" she yelped as she dove sideways to the mat. Sesshoumaru's katana landed just close to her, but she had just narrowly managed to escape being sliced.

Scrambling to her feet, she quickly backed away from him.

"Hold your stance, Miko!" he ordered sternly.

She immediately halted into a left stance, willing her rapidly beating heart to calm down. Gazing deep into his eyes, she tried to read his intentions. Focus, Kagome, focus, she told herself.

A flicker appeared in his eyes.

_Left._

She dove to the right just as he swung his katana down, narrowing missing her left shoulder. Anger began to bubble within her. That was close. Way too close.

"Are you trying to kill me?" she yelled in outrage. "It could have gone right though!"

His reaction was mild, almost bored. "You wanted training, Miko. And this Sesshoumaru is honoring his end of the agreement."

"There would not be much use for this training if I'm dead, would it?!" she snapped.

"Then it is advisable that you keep yourself alive. This Sesshoumaru does not like to see this training wasted."

_Why, the arrogant…_

As she ground her teeth in irritation, Kagome felt an overwhelming urge to hit the arrogant taiyoukai in front of her; preferably in his face to wipe out that disdainful expression. Her eyes narrowed. Why not? He could hardly complain because they _were_ sparring and he said nothing about not attacking him.

Recalling his words about eye-contact, Kagome tried to mask her expression, doing her best to imitate his disinterested look. She almost groaned when she saw him arch an eyebrow. _Great, he knows_, she thought with no small amount of dismay.

Stiffening her resolve, she charged to the right. Sesshoumaru sidestepped fluidly and turned, landing a blow to her shoulders.

She staggered slightly before she spun around, sweeping her kodachis in a double arc towards him. He blocked with his katana, but she did not let go. They remained locked, katana to kodachis, golden eyes to brown eyes.

Kagome willed herself to push forward, and before she knew it, a pearlescent glow covered her kodachis. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed a fraction in disapproval and then his katana took on a golden glow. The pressure against her kodachis increased, forcing Kagome to push even harder.

Silver and gold lights sparked in the air between them, and yet she refused to yield. Something within her told her to stand her ground, and that something sounded scarily like Sesshoumaru. So she continued to push, her entire body trembling with the power flowing from her small body.

The sparks intensified.

Then it exploded, throwing her backwards.

She lay on her back for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Groaning, she pushed herself up and brushed her bangs aside. Sesshoumaru was still standing, but the ends of his sleeves were charred from the explosion. Kagome could not stop a giggle from escaping her lips when she saw the irritated expression on Sesshoumaru's normally stoic face.

But her giggled died on her lips when he began to stalk towards her. Eyes widening in alarm, she quickly stood up.

"Um…Sesshoumaru. I…um…" she began, but faltered at the look on his face.

When he reached her, he stared down his nose and said icily, "You are not allowed your miko powers during training."

_Oops_, she thought. She had completely forgotten about that for a second. Then, as a thought occurred to her, she frowned.

"Hey, you used your youkai strength, so why can't I do the same with my miko powers?" she asked belligerently.

Silence.

And then, "Hn."

She raised an eyebrow. "So? It's only fair, _Sesshoumaru_," she told him, deliberately omitting the honorific to his name.

His eyes narrowed. "You are not permitted to address this Sesshoumaru in such a familiar manner."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Then, perhaps you might choose to remember that my name is Kagome."

"It is not appropriate."

"Oh? So I guess I'll continue to call you Sesshoumaru, then. 'Cause that's appropriate enough for me," she said using the most innocent tone she could muster.

"Wench…"

She grinned. "Sesshoumaru?"

He fixed a steady glare on her, but she had received enough of it in the past few weeks to be immune to its effect. She never knew that prolonged exposure to Sesshoumaru would result in this but she was not complaining. It was much better than the stomach dropping fear that she had used to feel.

"So? My miko strength against your youkai powers?" she prodded questioningly. She then grinned mischievously. "Or are you scared?"

A momentary silence followed before he spoke.

"This Sesshoumaru does not fear your miko strength." His tone was clipped.

"I shall take that as a yes, then."

It was barely perceptible, but Sesshoumaru inclined his head in agreement.

Kagome's jaw dropped. She won. She actually won an argument with Sesshoumaru. A grin spread over her features.

With a cheerful nod at him, she said, "Thank you, Sesshoumaru!"

"Hn."

* * *

Sesshoumaru made his way through the forest, his sharp eyes checking the area for any untoward activity. Without Rin around, he could complete the patrol of the Western Lands in less than one day instead of the usual three days. 

Stopping on top of a rock boulder, Sesshoumaru let the breeze sweep past him, bringing him the different scents which made up his land. The new sleeves of his new white kimono fluttered in the breeze.

Sesshoumaru's lips tightened, remembering the reason for the new sleeves. Again. Since the first time they had sparred together, his sleeves had been consistently singed into a smoking black mass. He had no one to blame but himself for the results. After all, he had agreed to her request to allow her to use her miko powers.

A slight error in his judgment, that was all.

What surprised him the most was that he actually enjoyed their sparring sessions. Although her combat skills were not up to par with his, not that he expected anyone to be, she made up for it by her unpredictability and her miko powers. It was refreshing to be able to indulge in one of his favorite arts regularly without having to seek out either Inuyasha or some other youkai to do so.

Floating off the boulder, Sesshoumaru brushed his thoughts away. There was still a small area to cover before he could return home.

He was approaching a rock outcrop when his senses went on the alert.

Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. The hanyou no longer smelled like a hanyou, but like a full-youkai. The sorry excuse of a half-breed must have broken away from his Tetsusaiga again. No doubt he was trying to find the miko.

Sesshoumaru deliberated the wisdom of intercepting the hanyou, knowing that if he did, it would only end up in Inuyasha being beaten to a bleeding lump. His eyes glinted in anticipation. That would be acceptable.

Launching himself up in the air, he let his eyes scan the dirt path and the surrounding rock outcrops until he spotted a flash of red. His eyes sharpened. Yes, that was certainly Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru swooped down to land in front of the surprised hanyou.

"You're trespassing," he stated in greeting.

Inuyasha's red eyes flashed angrily. "Where's Kagome, you bastard?!" he yelled.

"Her location does not concern you, little brother," Sesshoumaru replied, sounding almost bored.

Inuyasha was shaking with fury. "Give her back to me!"

"The miko will be returned when the agreement is completed."

"No! You'll tell me where she is now!"

The hanyou was beginning to irritate him. And in a strange way, Sesshoumaru also pitied him. Although it amused him to fight with the hanyou in his normal state, he could not say the same for when Inuyasha was overtaken by his youkai. It was like battling a mindless animal.

An animal which he, Sesshoumaru would gladly take down right at this moment.

"Prepare yourself, hanyou," Sesshoumaru warned.

A blink of an eye later, they were face to face.

Sesshoumaru released the whips from his claws and snapped them at Inuyasha. With a speed which he did not normally possess, Inuyasha streaked away only to return with a deadly slash of his claws.

Zipping to the side, Sesshoumaru spun around and tried to trip Inuyasha, but to his surprise, the hanyou managed to evade the blow again. A faint feeling of trepidation washed over him, but he instantly clamped it down. Inuyasha was no match for him. There was no need for him to worry.

It was then that Sesshoumaru's eyes were drawn to Inuyasha's waist. Golden eyes widened when he realized that Tetsusaiga was still firmly attached to the hanyou. So, the power which bound Inuyasha's youkai blood must have been broken.

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth. This made things just a little more complicated. His arm was not finished yet and if he gave up his fang now, there was no guarantee that the miko would not just run off.

Though something told him that she had a little bit more honor than that.

Inuyasha swiped at him again.

Incensed, Sesshoumaru retracted his whips and extended his poison claws. The poison would not kill Inuyasha as the hanyou's body was capable of defending itself. However, Sesshoumaru knew that enough of it would render Inuyasha unconscious. With that thought, he instantly swiped at the approaching hanyou, catching him in his chest. The cut was shallow and it did not seem to have achieved anything apart from enraging the hanyou further. Snarling, Inuyasha dived and retaliated using his own claws. With their close proximity, Sesshoumaru could not back away in time to avoid the blow.

His eyes widened in surprise when a stinging pain exploded in his right shoulder, making him hiss. Anger bubbling within him, Sesshoumaru spun around and backhanded Inuyasha in the face, knocking the hanyou into a tree.

Inuyasha stilled for a moment and then to Sesshoumaru's astonishment, he picked himself up again.

And charged.

Sesshoumaru launched into the air to avoid the blow. Then he swooped down, his claws ready to cause more damage to the insolent hanyou. Inuyasha looked up, his red eyes flashing in surprise, but he was not fast enough to sidestep the attack.

Sesshoumaru's claws sank into Inuyasha's shoulders. At the same time, the taiyoukai felt a slash across his thighs. Stifling a curse, he snatched his claws back and staggered away from Inuyasha, his burning thighs hampering his movement.

Glaring down at the panting hanyou, Sesshoumaru deliberated if he should pound the insolent half-brother of his a few more times just to make sure he had learnt his lesson. Glancing at his own injuries, he decided irritably that it was not worth his time. As it was, the hanyou was already falling unconscious under the poison.

Although he knew that Inuyasha would live, it would not do to leave the hanyou in the middle of the wild. It would only serve to attract bloodthirsty youkais which Sesshoumaru preferred not to waste his time on.

He called for Ah-Un.

* * *

A shadow passed overhead, distracting Kagome from the skipping rope game she was playing with Rin and Shippou. Getting to her feet, she looked up curiously just in time to find Sesshoumaru descending into the courtyard on his dust cloud. 

Her mouth fell open at the sight of his bloodstained shoulder and thighs.

Rushing forward, she asked anxiously, "What happened, Sesshoumaru?"

The taiyoukai gave her an unreadable look before he replied, "Minor injuries. They'll heal."

Minor injuries? Kagome's eyes narrowed as she studied the wounds. The slashes seemed as if it was made by claws, and considering the amount of blood staining Sesshoumaru's clothes, the wounds were definitely not shallow. Who was he fighting with?

"Who did this?" she asked, pointing at the wound on his shoulder.

"It's none of your concern, Miko," he grated out tersely.

Her expression became pinched. Why was he being so stubborn? Fine, they were not exactly friends, but he was hurt and… Then she saw his pale complexion and softened slightly. The taiyoukai was in pain, but too proud to admit it. Figures.

"Come on, I'll heal it for you," she said in a softer voice.

He stared at her, seemingly in surprise. The flicker of distrust which entered his eyes did not escape Kagome's attention.

She raised an eyebrow. "What? If I can restore an arm, I'm quite capable of healing what you called MINOR wounds."

"That would not be necessary. This Sesshoumaru is capable of healing by himself."

She planted her hands on her hips. "I know. But that would take at least a day or two, right? It's faster if you let me do it."

"Hn."

Still, he made no move to follow her.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked.

"This does not release you from our agreement," Sesshoumaru pointed out stiffly.

Kagome gaped. What? He thought that she would somehow use this against him? Annoyed at the stab at her honor, Kagome stepped close to him and prodded him in the chest with one finger.

"Listen, you arrogant creature! I'm doing this because you're hurt. Not because I want something from you." She reinforced her words with another poke at his chest. "This might come as news for you, but I don't just stand around and watch anyone suffer when I can help it. You get me?"

As she was about to stab him with her finger again, she found said finger immobilized by an iron grip. Forcing herself not to wince at the pressure, she just glared at him.

"This Sesshoumaru does not tolerate insolence, Miko!" he bit out, his clawed hand still wrapped around her finger.

Irritated beyond belief, Kagome just glared at him. "Can I have my finger back now?"

He released it suddenly.

A moment of silence passed before he spoke. "You shall heal this Sesshoumaru's wounds in the hot-springs."

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Big hugs and thanks for reading and reviewing by fic! I apologise for not replying individually to your review this time, but this is my first day back at work and it's hectic! I'll do it the next time, okay?

* * *

**A Simple Legacy by elle6778 - Chapter 8**

The hot springs within Sesshoumaru's compound were enclosed by stone walls with a bamboo roof, giving its occupants the necessary privacy to bathe and to keep the heat in while the gentle sound of the gurgling water soothed them. In addition to that, the curling steam from the pools of hot water surrounded by rounded rocks was almost hypnotic, the perfect way to cultivate one's peace of mind and body.

That, of course, had to be marred by the presence of the miko beside him. Her feelings of embarrassment at his state of undress were acute, as evidenced by the blush on her cheeks and her tentative fingers.

Seated on a warm rock, his body slick with water and only covered by a strip of white cloth across his groin and tied low at his waist, Sesshoumaru glanced down to his right.

After his quick dip, she had cleaned his bleeding wounds with a soft cloth provided by Rin. Now, her hands were hovering over his shoulder wound, barely touching his skin. A soft pearlescent glow could be seen at the junction between his shoulder and her palms, spreading a tingling feeling over his skin. He noted with satisfaction that the claw wounds inflicted by Inuyasha were already closing under her treatment. He glanced at his left arm, now complete with a wrist and two perfect magenta stripes. It looked as if it would be complete in another week, or even less. That arm, at least, had escaped from Inuyasha's attack.

Then a frown marred his brows. Inuyasha in his youkai self was reckless, but the raw animal instincts had given the hanyou an edge that Sesshoumaru had not expected. He had been careless and had gotten himself injured. Something needed to be done. And soon, or else the uncontrollable youkai blood would drive Inuyasha to madness. Much as he disliked his half-brother, to die in such a manner would bring dishonor to the family.

He had no choice. As soon as his arm was complete, he would seek out the hanyou.

Vaguely, Sesshoumaru wondered if the miko would have offered to heal him if she had known what had happened between him and Inuyasha. Although the hanyou was the reason for this entire mess, the miko obviously cared a lot for him. It did not seem to matter to her that Inuyasha had tried to harm her more than once. Instead, she just carried on trying to help the hanyou.

Sesshoumaru was at a loss to explain her odd behavior. How could someone be so selfless, so kind and so…loyal? Granted, she was a miko, but that did not mean that those traits came as a package with the position. He had come across other mikos in the past, and they were definitely not as selfless.

Somehow, something told him that she would try to help anyone who needed it, whether they asked for it or not. She had even healed one of his servants when the lowly beaver youkai had broken his paw while gathering wood a week ago. He snorted in disgust, knowing that ever since then, his servants had been fawning all over her.

"Sesshoumaru?"

His eyes snapped open to find her staring at him questioningly.

The blush in her cheeks spread down her neck as she spoke. "I need to …um… heal your leg."

"There is no need for embarrassment, Miko," he told her, slightly amused by her reaction. This was a novelty for him. Usually, when he was in any state of undress, females tended to look at him with lust, not embarrassment. They tended to pounce on him, not avert their eyes shyly.

The miko took a deep breath and placed her hands over his thighs. Sesshoumaru tensed a little at the sudden contact of her warm palm against his inner thigh. Surprisingly, it seemed almost…intimate. Brushing away his wayward thoughts lest they manifested upon his body in an embarrassing manner, Sesshoumaru quickly pinned his attention on the small, trickling waterfall at the end of the rock pool.

His reaction to the miko baffled him.

He should be disgusted at the touch of her hand, the touch of a lowly ningen, but he was not. Could it be that somewhere along the line, he had gotten used to it? After all, he had felt the touch of her hands on his person on a regular basis for the last five weeks.

Her blunt fingernails scraped the inside of his left thigh and he let out a hiss. Not of pain, he realized with consternation, but something else he should not even be feeling in the vicinity of a human.

A pair of shocked brown eyes snapped up to meet his. "Sorry," she mumbled as she hovered her trembling hands over his wounds, her long black hair brushing his knees.

"Hn." He pointedly ignored the tingling feeling in his knees.

Her position in front of him was suggestive. It would seem like she was trying to seduce him if he had not known better. But this miko was pure and innocent. She probably did not understand the effect of such things on a male. In another place, in another setting and if she was a female youkai instead of a human miko, his responses would be completely different.

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth at his wayward thoughts, willing himself not to think about it.

His thigh began to glow where her palms met his skin, and the familiar tingling feeling began.

"Who did this, Sesshoumaru?" she asked.

"It's not important," he said, aware that his entire body had tensed at the question. Something told him that it would be better if he did not reveal the truth about the origin of his injuries.

She gave him a puzzled look. "It must have been someone pretty powerful to cause this much damage to you." The glow on his thighs receded, signaling that the healing was complete.

His irritation rose and his claws closed into a tight fist, piercing the skin of his palm. Inuyasha powerful? He snorted inwardly. Hardly. It was just pure luck that the hanyou had managed to injure him so.

"No," he replied tersely.

She dropped her eyes down to his thighs. To his distress, she began to stroke the fresh, pink scar tissues gently with her fingertips, as if to check if her work was satisfactory. Unfortunately for him, her motions were causing his hair to stand on its end, the unfamiliar sensation acutely discomfiting.

And it was not to be tolerated.

Quickly, he stood up.

Startled at his sudden move, the miko tumbled back, staring at him in bewilderment. He made no move to help her up. Instead, he spun around and made for the bamboo door.

"Hey, a 'thanks' would be nice, you know," she pointed sound indignantly.

He paused, the miko's words ringing in his ears. She had provided him with assistance when she was under no obligation to do so. Much as he hated to admit it, she was right. It would be uncouth not to extend his gratitude after her efforts.

"Thank you." His tone was clipped.

Then he continued to the exit.

* * *

The cheerful sounds of birds chirping filtered through the open window to Kagome, bringing her out of her slumber. With a groan, she cracked open her eyes to the bright sunlight shining through the window. She immediately squeezed her eyes shut against the glare. 

Rolling over her futon to face the other direction, Kagome yawned and opened her eyes again, blinking away the last vestiges of sleep. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she stretched.

And immediately winced when her joints popped.

She felt different this morning. Brows furrowing in confusion, she wondered what she had done yesterday to cause her body to feel achy like this. There had been no training session with Sesshoumaru, so that could not be it.

She suddenly grinned. Sesshoumaru's arm was almost complete. All that was left was the tips of his four fingers. Soon enough, he would have to hand over his fang. Her excitement dimmed a little. She just hoped that he would not back out of it at the last minute, but she doubt that he would. The taiyoukai was honorable in that sort of way.

A little over five weeks, she thought. It had taken just over five weeks instead of the two months she had anticipated. Then another thought came to her as she counted the days and she immediately brightened.

It was her birthday today. Her eighteenth birthday.

A wistful expression crossed her face. She would be spending it here with Sesshoumaru, Rin and Shippou instead of her family at home. Back home, eighteen birthdays were special, but she doubted that that was the case in Sengoku Jidai. At eighteen, most women were already married with kids.

Perhaps Sesshoumaru would consider letting her leave just for one day. After all, he did not need her for anything today, right? She would just have to tell him when she saw him today.

Brightening further at the prospect of returning home, she figured that perhaps a bit of exercise would probably do her some good. After all, her next training session would not be until tomorrow. In the meantime, she could try to figure out some moves to bring the arrogant taiyoukai to his knees. Well, at least, she would attempt to. She knew fully well that Sesshoumaru held back during their sparring sessions, but it did not stop her from wanting to go further.

With that thought, she jumped up and changed into the plain black hakama and a matching cream hakamashita given to her by one of the servants.

Breakfast with Rin and Shippou was a quick affair. After setting some simple writing tasks for the children, she headed for the dojo.

Practicing her swings alone indoors soon became tedious. A glance out of the window told her that the sunny courtyard would be a much better place to practice in. And since Sesshoumaru was not around, he could hardly stop her, could he?

With a grin, she dropped the katana she had been using and picked up her favorite kodachis. Soon enough, she was outside in the courtyard, practicing various techniques. She was so involved in her practice that she almost missed the sound of swishing silk nearby.

Stopping mid-swing, she turned around to face a stony-faced Sesshoumaru. She knew him well enough by now to realize that behind the façade, he was holding back something. Something which looked suspiciously like annoyance.

What was eating him now, Kagome wondered irritably. Then she remembered the question she wanted to ask him.

"Sesshoumaru…sama," she added at the last minute, hoping that the honorific would make him more amenable to her request.

He turned around.

"You don't need me here today, so can I go home for a day?" she asked.

His eyes narrowed. "No."

Taken aback at his blatant refusal, Kagome just stared at him for a second before she managed to choke out a, "What?"

"You heard me, Miko," he said flatly.

He was being unreasonable. It was just for one day and it was not as if he needed her here for something. At least Inuyasha has the Shikon shard hunt as an excuse for refusing to let her go home.

Indignant, she snapped, "Look, out agreement does not include me being housebound over here. So whether you like it or not, I'm going." Turning around, she prepared to stomp away.

A strong hand clamped on her arm firmly, halting her in her tracks. "You dare defy this Sesshoumaru and dishonor the agreement?"

Her eyes widened incredulously. "Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Our agreement states that this Sesshoumaru shall not hurt you during the course of the agreement, correct?"

Wondering what Sesshoumaru was trying to get at, Kagome nodded uncertainly. With him, one could never be too sure where they stood.

"Should any harm be inflicted on you during your journey, this would mean that the responsibility lies on this Sesshoumaru for allowing you to leave," he explained, his expression displaying just a slight hint of smugness.

Her jaw dropped. "You're just twisting things around to suit yourself!"

"Nevertheless, it is true."

_Why the sneaky…_ "I need to go home, Sesshoumaru!" she wailed in frustration.

It occurred to her again just then how familiar this entire situation was. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were both as hardheaded and stubborn as each other. The only difference was, Sesshoumaru's mind was simply sneakier. Talking her way out of it would not work this time.

"By tomorrow night, this Sesshoumaru's arm would be completely restored, and you are free to go."

"It's not the same!"

"Why?"

She threw her hands up in the air. "Because it's my birthday today!"

His eyebrow arched as he waited for her to explain further. Rolling her eyes, she let of an exclamation of exasperation.

"Eighteen birthdays are supposed to be special in the human custom," Kagome gritted out irritably.

"Hn," he exclaimed disinterestedly before turning around to walk away.

Incensed beyond belief, Kagome's arm struck out before her brain registered her action, hitting Sesshoumaru's back with the heel of her palm.

The taiyoukai froze.

"Don't turn your back on me!" she snapped, too irritated to care what he would say about her actions.

He turned around slowly. "Miko, you would be wise to learn your place." His voice was icy.

"My place at the moment is back home with my family," she bit out.

"That is not possible."

Her eyes glittered angrily. "Sesshoumaru, you're a bastard, you know that?"

"Do not speak such untruths." But there was a glint in his eyes which told her that he knew fully well what she was calling him.

With a sharp shriek of frustration, Kagome threw the sheath of her weapon at him.

He caught it easily with his hand before it managed to hit him.

"Miko. If you insist on challenging this Sesshoumaru, then do so in the proper manner," he bit out, tossing the sheath back at her.

Her eyes narrowed. "Would you let me leave if I beat you?" she asked, knowing that she had no chance whatsoever at beating him. But if she could not go back, then at least she could relieve her frustrations on the person who deserved it the most.

She stared at him challengingly.

* * *

When he had first spotted her in the courtyard, his temper had been inexplicably foul. The fact that he did not know what was it which ruffled his fur made it even worse. 

And now, Sesshoumaru could not help himself from smirking at the opportunity to take it out on someone. So, the wench knew that she could not beat him but still had the nerve to challenge him. Yes, she was stubborn, persistent and brave. And Sesshoumaru did not know if that odd tingling feeling in him was pride or disgust. What he knew was that his foul mood had dissipated the moment she had issued her challenge.

They were not meant to be training today, but if the wench wanted a fight, she would get one.

"You are foolish. Your skills are still lacking," he pointed out evenly.

Her eyes flashed. "Now, whose fault would that be?"

Sesshoumaru raised a brow. "You blame this Sesshoumaru for this lack of ability to master the art of combat?"

"You're the one teaching, aren't you?" she challenged, quirking an insolent brow.

"An apprentice always has a personal limit. Especially one who is a human. And one should pick their fights."

Angry at his taunts, the miko flipped to her feet and launched herself forward, one kodachis further out than the other. The miko's thoughts were transparent to him. In her rage, she had forgotten to mask her expression.

"Eyes, Miko," he pointed out dryly.

Her eyes flickered uncertainly and then the stubborn look he had come to recognize appeared. With a loud battle cry, she swung her arms, placing her kodachis into the opposite direction just as she reached him. He blocked with his katana. Sparks erupted from the contact. Sesshoumaru quickly twisted, letting her own momentum carry her away from him.

Their eyes locked for a split second.

Astounded, Sesshoumaru blinked. He could have sworn that her youki had flared into something he had never seen on her before just a second ago. Anticipating a counter-attack, he turned around quickly. But the girl was lying facedown on the ground, unmoving. Puzzled, he frowned. She had done better than this last time. Why was she in this state today?

He walked to her and knelt down. Prodding her shoulders with a finger, he called out, "Miko."

She did not move.

"Miko!"

There was still no response from her.

Sighing in resignation, he bit out reluctantly, "_Kagome_. Get to your feet."

She remained unmoving.

Slightly anxious now, Sesshoumaru grabbed her shoulder and turned her to her back. She was really unconscious. How could this be? She had taken worse than this before and had bounced back without a problem.

Then he watched, slightly alarmed when she began to glow. Before he could blink, a bright flare of light burst from her, hitting him right in the chest, the force of it throwing him backwards.

Sesshoumaru quickly stood. For a second, he thought that he might have been hit by a flash of her purification. A quick inspection of his person told him that he was unharmed. Instead, there was a tingling feeling which extended itself from his chest to the back of his head. His brow furrowing, he wondered what had just happened. It was different from her usual purifying energy. Peering at the still unconscious miko, he took a cautious step towards her.

Her youki hit his senses and he drew back involuntarily. Shock swept through him. He could still recognize it as the miko, but it was now subtler and darker, a trait he could recognize without doubt.

It reminded him of a youkai.

* * *

Kagome cracked her eyes open to find herself lying in her bedroom. An involuntary groan escaped her lips. 

Pushing herself into a sitting position on the futon, she leaned back against the wall. The throbbing in her head made her wince. What happened, she wondered. The last thing she remembered was attacking Sesshoumaru. How did she get here? Did he knock her out?

She grimaced. No doubt this would give him another reason to push her even harder. For someone who had started off so reluctant to train her, he had been surprisingly meticulous and merciless that it seemed almost sadistic. Not that there would be many more chance for him to do so considering that their time was almost up.

She took a look out of the window to find that the sun was already setting, painting purplish red streaks across the sky. Her heart sank. There was no point in going home now. It was too late, she thought dejectedly. And it was all Sesshoumaru's fault.

Shuffling off the futon, she proceeded to fold the mat and the covers into a neat pile against the wall. Just then, the shoji slid open. She turned around to find Sesshoumaru walking towards her with an odd expression on his face. He did not stop until he was just an arm's length away from her.

Before she could say a word, he reached out and tilted her chin up, staring intently into her eyes. Her breath caught. She had never been this close to him. Not voluntarily, anyway. At this distance, she could even see the individual bright gold flecks buried in the molten gold background. Why was he looking at her like this?

"Hn." That was all he uttered before he dropped his hands.

Shock rooted her to the spot. When she finally regained her composure, Sesshoumaru was already at the shoji.

"Hey!" she called out hurriedly. Then she quickly corrected herself. "Sesshoumaru!"

He halted, but did not turn to face her. She could almost feel his hesitation like it was her own. There was something he was not telling her. But why was he giving away his thoughts so easily today? Normally, she could not read a single thing from him. It was the strangest thing.

"What's that all about?" she asked cautiously, wondering if he was alright.

"Nothing," came the curt reply.

He was evading the question, she could tell. Confused, she chased after him as he made his way out into the hallway. "What do you mean, nothing? That was just weird. What's going on?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with." Another evasive move.

Just how stupid did he think she was? Her irritation level rose. "Of course it has something to do with me, otherwise you wouldn't have done what you just did."

"Wench…" he warned.

She could feel her temper bubbling. "And stop calling me wench. Or Miko. How many times must I tell you? I have a name. It's Kagome. Ka-go-me. Get it?"

He spun around slowly and gave her a disinterested look. To her surprise, she could feel waves of curiosity and wariness emanating from him, in complete contrast with his expression.

"Do you recall anything…strange earlier?" he asked.

It was a sincere question, she knew, but she had no idea what he was referring to. "What do you mean by strange?"

"I do not repeat myself, Miko."

Her eyes flashed. "Well, I can't answer if I don't know what you're talking about!" she snapped, confused by his questions.

As he stared silently at her, Kagome felt herself being surrounded by a feeling of impatience and uncertainty. Sesshoumaru feeling uncertain? Well, that was a new one, she thought with a smirk. It was good for the arrogant lord to feel a little perturbed once in a while.

She frowned. Something must be really bugging Sesshoumaru if he let his guard down so much that she could feel his emotions.

The next thing she knew, his annoyance washed over her and he disappeared in a swirl of white silk, leaving her gaping silently at the closed shoji door.

* * *

It irked him that he did not know what was going on with the miko. She had not been lying. Her body language and her confusion were too real, too honest for that. But he knew what he saw. He knew what he sensed. And his senses were never wrong. How could a mere human miko possess the youki of a youkai? It was subtle, a barely recognizable change, but it was glaringly clear to him that it was what it was. 

Sesshoumaru frowned. Apart from the flash of her eyes that he had caught earlier, there were no other signs which indicated to him that anything else had changed with the miko.

Perhaps he was going about this the wrong way. After all, she was one of the few humans he had met thus far. And apart from Rin, he had very little contact with human females. It was entirely plausible that the miko had undergone some normal change that he was not aware of. After all, she had implied that there was something special about eighteenth birthdays. Sesshoumaru wanted to roll his eyes at the foolish human notion.

Nevertheless, he would keep his senses open just in case there were more changes to come. Other than that, he would not waste his valuable time or energy pondering over a miko who was only living on a temporary basis in his castle. A couple more days were all she required to complete his fingers.

His mind made up, Sesshoumaru felt the easing of the confusion which had plagued him ever since their short-lived fight in the courtyard.

Reaching out to the stack on his desk, Sesshoumaru prepared himself for the endless paperwork ahead. He was completely immersed in a missive from the Lord of the Northern Isles when his senses went on the alert.

Straightening from his cross-legged position on the mat, he stood up and went to the window. The breeze carried a faint scent, and there was no mistaking who it belonged to.

Inuyasha had gotten past the barriers. A frown made its way to Sesshoumaru's brows. He realized that he should have expected it. After all, Inu-no-Taishou's blood ran in their veins, so it was hardly surprising that the barrier let him through.

Feeling irritated at being disturbed yet again, Sesshoumaru let out a soft growl before he reached out for the sheathed katana resting behind him against the wall. Making sure that Toukijin was securely fastened to his hips, he jumped out of the window and waited for the inevitable arrival of his unwanted guest.

Inuyasha arrived in a flurry of red and white, his blood-red eyes so filled with rage that even Sesshoumaru felt a twinge of unease. He had left Ah-Un to return Inuyasha to his camp only four days ago. And now, it seemed that the youkai blood madness was already taking over Inuyasha's sanity.

"Sesshoumaru!" the hanyou snarled, baring his teeth. "Where is she?"

Sesshoumaru have him a hard look. "You are not welcomed here."

"Give me Kagome!" he demanded, his chest heaving in tandem with his pants.

"You're not in a state to demand anything, Inuyasha." His tone was chilly.

"How dare you hold her here?"

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Your miko came here willingly."

"You tricked her!" Inuyasha snarled, obviously in no state to listen to reason.

"INUYASHA!"

Sesshoumaru stiffened at the miko's shout.

The hanyou immediately locked his gaze on her approaching figure. Sesshoumaru stifled an exasperated sigh. Her presence would complicate matters. Inuyasha was bad enough without her here.

"Stay back, Miko," he said, tossing her a warning look. She halted, staring at both of them with alarm.

Inuyasha growled. "Don't stop her from coming to me, you bastard!"

The miko stepped closer. "Inuyasha, please. Sesshoumaru's not doing anything wrong."

Inuyasha glared at Sesshoumaru before turning back to her. "Don't defend him, Kagome!"

"I came here for his fang, remember?" the miko explained, obviously trying to placate the irate hanyou.

"Keh, you don't need to stay. I'll get his fang." Inuyasha's eyes narrowed menacingly. "…after I kill him."

Sesshoumaru felt his annoyance rise, but he kept his voice level. "You overestimate yourself, little brother."

"DON'T call me little brother!" Inuyasha snarled, and then he charged forward. "Die, Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes glinted. "It's you who would be taught how to respect you superiors today."

"Don't do this, Sesshoumaru!" she pleaded, her anxiety piercing at him in a way which it should not.

Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed. Why was he suddenly feeling her emotions in such an acute manner? Granted, the miko was not hard to read, but he was not even trying to read her this time. But her emotions were washing over him in waves.

"Silence, Miko!" he ordered, trying to shake off her anxiety from himself.

Her presence was distracting. And with Inuyasha in this state, he could not afford to be distracted. The full-youkai blood made Inuyasha reckless, and that was enough to make him less unpredictable than usual.

"Please, Sesshoumaru!"

"Miko. Are you quite incapable of maintaining silence?" he gritted out.

"Don't kill him!" she went on as if he had not spoken.

Tossing an irritated glance at her, he growled threateningly, "You WILL maintain silence. And you WILL remember your part of the agreement."

He _felt _rather than saw her stiffen. He was not going to justify his actions to her, even though he had no intention of killing Inuyasha. It would be dishonorable to do so when the hanyou was so overcome by his youkai transformation.

He pulled his eyes away from her and focused on the battle. With a snarl, he clenched and unclenched his hand in preparation just as Inuyasha yelled, "You will die today!"

Unperturbed by Inuyasha's foolish declaration, Sesshoumaru just smirked.

"What are you smiling at?" Incensed, Inuyasha's entire body trembled.

"You're pathetic. You disgrace our father's name."

Inuyasha snarled. "The old dog's dead and he left us alone, so who cares?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at the insult. "You will cease your disrespect towards our father. Father died as a result of his infatuation with a weak human. Your mother," he gritted out.

Inuyasha's blood red eyes glittered malevolently. "Do NOT insult my mother, you bastard!"

"STOP IT! Please!" the miko yelled desperately. "Can't we just sit down and talk?"

Without removing his eyes from Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru said coldly, "This worthless hanyou is not fit for conversation at this moment."

"Shut up, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha snarled. "And prepare to die!"

A red blur streaked towards him just as Sesshoumaru flicked his wrist to release his Whips of Lights. The golden strands snapped, temporarily slowing Inuyasha down but the hanyou was persistent in his madness.

With a roar, Inuyasha launched into the air and dipped down with his claws extended, his fangs bared in anger. Sesshoumaru zipped to one side, managing to avoid the descending attack. He retaliated with another snap of his whip, catching Inuyasha's side, but the hanyou seemed unaffected.

Remembering what had happened the last time they fought, Sesshoumaru knew that he had to take Inuyasha down as soon as he could. As Inuyasha charged again, he unsheathed Toukijin, holding it firmly in front.

The hanyou's claws came at him, reaching perilously close to his face. As Sesshoumaru zipped to the side, Inuyasha followed again. His annoyance growing, Sesshoumaru finally saw his chance.

He swung Toukijin in an arc, painting reddish streaks in the air, and let the flat of the katana land on Inuyasha's side. With an outraged roar, the hanyou was thrown some distance away.

Toukijin still held firmly in his grip, Sesshoumaru launched himself at the prone body lying on the ground. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the miko running towards them with a look of absolute horror on her face.

"Don't kill him!" she yelled.

Paying no attention to her words, he bent down towards Inuyasha.

"Sesshoumaru, please!" she pleaded as she ran towards them.

"Stay where you are, Miko," he ordered. The fact that she continued to run towards them did not surprise him. The girl's sense of self-preservation was non-existent.

With his right hand, Sesshoumaru yanked Inuyasha up by the neck, wanting to make sure that the hanyou was truly out for the count. Accidentally his left hand brushed the hilt of the katana, dislodging it from Inuyasha's hips.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing the last chapter. This is the last chapter of Part 1. Get comfortable, because it's almost twice as long as the normal chapters. And oh, I've written an offshoot from the spring scene in chapter 8. It's a PWP (grins), so if you're 18+ and would like to read it, it's called Simply Hard and it can be found on my homepage.

* * *

**A Simple Legacy by elle6778 - Chapter 9**

Sesshoumaru approached his target the way he did everything else in his tightly controlled life. His steps were measured, his expression showed nothing of his intent as he reached the wooden hut.

A black furred, three-eyed beast stared at him suspiciously but undaunted, Sesshoumaru just pushed the door open and walked in. The old blacksmith's jerked up, startled by his unannounced visitor. Then the look of annoyance was replaced with apprehension as recognition dawned on the old blacksmith. His overly large eyes flitted left and right, no doubt looking for some means of escape. Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to smirk.

Finally, Totousai's gaze landed on him. "S-Sesshoumaru-sama. What can I do for you this fine day?" he stuttered nervously.

Even though he was there to seek assistance, it would not do to give Totousai any reason to feel secure in his presence. After all, the old blacksmith had previously denied him a new katana. So Sesshoumaru stared at him expressionlessly, waiting until he felt a spike of fear in the old man before he reached down. With his half-formed left hand, he yanked Tetsusaiga together with its sheath from his waist. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the katana to the old man.

"Fix it." His tone made it clear to Totousai that it was an order, not a request.

Totousai caught the katana and his eyes widened further, his eyeballs looking as if they were in danger of falling out. He looked at Sesshoumaru's left hand, and then he back looked down at the object in his hand.

"Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga…Your arm…" he muttered, obviously confused.

Sesshoumaru was growing impatient. "You need this Sesshoumaru's fang?"

A quick nod came from the old blacksmith.

"Hn."

Without further ado, Sesshoumaru opened his mouth and forcefully yanked out a gleaming fang. Blood instantly gushed into his mouth, thick and rich. He grimaced a little, disgusted with himself for spilling his superior blood for his hanyou half-brother. He knew that the fang would grow again in half a day, but that did not make this any easier to take.

Totousai gaped. "I only need a chip. Not a whole fang."

Sesshoumaru placed his bloodstained fang on the table. "Take the whole fang. Perhaps then that baka hanyou would be better controlled."

Totousai looked at him thoughtfully, then his eyes shifted down to the katana. Hesitantly, he began, "Then maybe…If you don't mind…"

Eyes narrowing impatiently, Sesshoumaru waited for the old blacksmith to continue.

Shaking his head, Totousai went silent, appearing to be battling something within himself. He looked confused and torn.

When the silence dragged on, Sesshoumaru ground his teeth in irritation. "Speak your mind, Totousai," he ordered harshly.

Totousai raised a pair of startled eyes at him. Then, resolve seeped into his expression. Taking a deep breath, he began, "Your father infused a bit of his youki into Tetsusaiga to make it stronger. If you could do the same, then Tetsusaiga will be stronger than ever in subduing Inuyasha's youkai blood."

Sesshoumaru stiffened. Every youkai's youki was precious to them. It was not something they would just hand over, however little. Totousai was asking him for too much. Not to mention this was not part of his agreement with the miko.

No, not _just _a miko. Not with that youki she carried around with her lately. But she was still a miko in his mind.

"The miko said nothing of my youki."

Totousai nodded. "I did not tell her because I did not expect to obtain it. A chip of your fang will be adequate, but there is still a danger of the same thing happening again when the power of the fang runs out. With your youki binding it, it would be much harder to break the spell."

"Hn." Sesshoumaru turned away.

The last thing he wanted to do was to make Tetsusaiga stronger and further empowering his half-brother. The hanyou would probably repay this favor by trying to slash him with Tetsusaiga anyway.

But did it really matter?

A smirk brushed across the taiyoukai's lips. It would not be anything the great Western Lord could not handle. Perhaps by wielding a stronger Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha would prove to be a more worthy opponent, thus making it more satisfactory when this Sesshoumaru defeated him.

Yes, it would be pleasant to look upon Inuyasha's face when the hanyou realized that he, Sesshoumaru, could not be defeated even with a more powerful Tetsusaiga.

With a flash of white silk, Sesshoumaru swiveled around and gave Totousai a commanding look.

"Commence the procedure."

* * *

She had searched Sesshoumaru's castle the whole of yesterday, trying to locate the elusive taiyoukai. After the fight, Sesshoumaru had dragged Inuyasha away and she had no idea where the hanyou was being held. She was worried that Sesshoumaru might have made good on his declaration of killing her friend and she wanted to make sure that he did not. Doubting Sesshoumaru in this manner left a sour taste in her mouth but what else could she think? 

After more than a day of fruitless searching, she had finally snapped and went for the nearest available target. Jaken had been his usual unforthcoming self initially, but after a few thumps on the head, the toad youkai had finally surrendered Inuyasha's location.

Jaken had told her that Inuyasha had been secured in the warded mountain cell behind the compound. Not wanting to waste another moment, she had set out only to find her path blocked by a little kitsune.

He eyed her nervously. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Kagome-neesan?"

"I have to see if he's okay, Shippou," she explained patiently.

A small frown grew on his little forehead. "Sesshoumaru specifically said not to look for Inuyasha. He's going to be mad when he finds out. Don't go."

It surprised her that Shippou was the one who stood in her way. How had Sesshoumaru managed to gain his support in such a short time? The taiyoukai had barely interacted with the kitsune in all their time there.

She waved a dismissive hand in the air. "He can't do much to me, can he? After all, he still wants his fingers back."

"He can withhold his fang," Shippou pointed out.

Shaking her head slowly, she stated with certainty, "I don't think he'll stoop so low. But if he tries, I'll fight him for it!"

Shippou gave her a curious look. "You're not scared of him, are you?"

Kagome grinned. "Overexposure kind of took care of it, I think." Giving Shippou a reassuring look, she said firmly, "You stay here with Rin, okay. I'll be fine."

With that, she turned around and marched towards her destination. The mountain was close, and it had taken her less than half an hour to reach it.

A slight shimmer at the entrance of the rock cavern prison told Kagome that she had found what she was looking for. Slowly, she made her way towards it, unsure of what to expect when she neared it. One thing she knew for sure was that Inuyasha would greet her in his youkai form since Sesshoumaru had kept Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha.

Not that the katana was actually doing its job of binding Inuyasha's youkai blood any longer, she thought wryly as she picked her way towards it.

When she arrived in front of the barrier, she stopped. Her heart clenched in sympathy when looked in.

Inuyasha was pacing the width of his prison, snarling murderously with each step he took. She could see his blood-red eyes flashing behind his white bangs. His face was twisted in what could only be described as animalistic rage.

The instant he sensed her presence, his movements stilled and he rounded on her.

Kagome crouched down in front of the barrier, careful not to touch it lest the wards repelled her or worse, disintegrated. Even though she found it cruel that Sesshoumaru had caged Inuyasha in like this, she could see the sense in it.

"Inuyasha?" she called out softly. Unsure if he knew her, she added, "It's Kagome."

Recognition flashed across his features and he darted forward. A loud bang followed as the barrier repelled him, making Kagome wince in sympathy. He fell backwards onto the ground, snarling angrily as his claws dug into the dirt.

"Inuyasha, don't come too close," she urged, her eyes burning with unshed tears. She hated to see her friend like this. She hated the loss of his usual cantankerous self.

"Kagome," he hissed as he stood back up, his claws clenching spasmodically beside his hips. "Let me out, Kagome."

She shook her head. "You'll harm yourself. Sesshoumaru put you in here to keep you safe until we get Tetsusaiga to work again. It shouldn't take long. When he comes back, I'll get him to give us his fang."

Inuyasha's eyes hardened at the mention of Sesshoumaru. "I'll kill him! He touched you. No one touches you," he snarled. "You're MINE!"

Kagome shrank back at the intensity of his expression. It occurred to her that once, she would have given anything to hear those words from Inuyasha. She did not know at what point her feelings had changed, but what mattered was that it had. She no longer felt the same for Inuyasha as she had done for the last three years.

So what did she feel now?

With that thought, something broke inside her and the tears she had been holding back seeped out of the corner of her eyes.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha hissed desperately. "Don't cry. I'll protect you."

Choking back a sob, she shook his head. "It's not that…"

"When I get out, we'll be together," he said, his voice sounding almost normal now. The sight of her tears must have dampened his raging youkai blood. "You'll be my mate."

Her eyes grew large at his words. "I don't understand…" she whispered haltingly.

_Mate?_ A flutter began in her heart. What should she say? Inuyasha wanted her as his mate? Or was this his youkai self speaking?

Either way, knowing what she knew about her own feelings now, she just could not accept just yet. At least, not until everything went back to normal and she had a chance to think things through.

Shock temporarily made her dismiss the sudden flaring of her senses which told her of Sesshoumaru's presence in the vicinity. She had no time to deal with the arrogant taiyoukai now. Right now, she needed to make something clear to Inuyasha.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but I can't. Not yet." Her voice was soft as she looked at him, pleading with her eyes for him to understand.

Inuyasha snarled angrily, his chest heaving with rage. "It's Sesshoumaru! He took you away from me. I'll KILL him!"

"This has nothing to do with Sesshoumaru," she insisted, her voice raised. "Don't you get it, Inuyasha? You're not in your right mind now. And I've seen you in this state more times than I would have liked."

His confused red eyes stared at her, but he did not say anything.

"And it all got a little too much," she finished wearily. "It made things…difficult. I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I'm just a little confused. I need time to think."

Inuyasha fell back on his haunches, looking stunned.

* * *

Sesshoumaru had known that she would do something like this. 

He did not know when it began but at some point, he had gained an understanding of the girl who was now practically his apprentice. Everything about her seemed larger than life; her stubbornness, her high spirits, how fiercely she defended those she considered as friends and last but not least, her absolute refusal to know her place.

So it hardly surprised him to find her crouching down in front of Inuyasha's cell after he had specifically told her not to seek out the hanyou.

Leaning back against the side of a protruding rock, he kept his presence hidden from them as he listened to the miko talk to his half-brother. Sadness and despair emanated from her, making him uncomfortably aware of her emotions. Now that she had that odd youki, the effect was much more pronounced. Where before, her human emotions were like a dull grating on his nerves, it was now sharp and piercing. And annoyingly insistent.

He had come to return the reforged Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha. Under his persistent observation, the old blacksmith had worked without rest until the katana was done, complete with Sesshoumaru's fang and a small amount of his youki.

Sesshoumaru's lips tilted slightly as he touched the hilt with his right hand. With his youki firmly embedded in the katana, he could now wield the Tetsusaiga with both hands. His half-brother's expression would be priceless when he realized that.

It occurred to him to just keep the Tetsusaiga for himself, especially now that he could wield it. The urge was almost overwhelming, even if it meant that the hanyou descent into complete madness. Sesshoumaru glanced a little resentfully at the miko. However, he had given his word and it would be dishonorable to break it.

Sesshoumaru heard the hanyou whisper brokenly to the miko. "Why? Is this because of Sesshoumaru? How could you trust that youkai?"

Pathetic, Sesshoumaru thought derisively.

The wench hesitated. "No. My feelings for you have nothing to do with Sesshoumaru. And he had done nothing to betray the trust I give to him."

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow arched. The miko just admitted that she trusted him. He did not know whether he should be flattered or insulted.

"The way I betrayed your trust, is that it?" the hanyou's voice rose in agitation.

Sesshoumaru felt a spike of annoyance from the miko. "You need to get over this, Inuyasha. Losing control of your youkai isn't your fault. Tetsusaiga just wore out. So stop kicking yourself over it. When Sesshoumaru's fingers are completed, it will be fixed and we'll get back to shard hunting like normal."

Taking that as his cue to reveal himself, Sesshoumaru stepped out of the shadows, but still hidden from Inuyasha's view.

"It's about time you show yourself," the miko remarked dryly, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.

Sesshoumaru stilled. She had detected his presence? Of course, the strange youki he had felt earlier might have something to do with it. Or perhaps she had always been able to do it anyway?

Uncharacteristically uncertain, he settled for a noncommittal, "Hn."

She turned to look at him over her shoulders and her eyes settled on the katana strapped to his hips. "I need to finish restoring you hand. Once more would be enough, I think. We really need your fang now."

"Indeed."

He reached for Tetsusaiga and deliberately detached it from his waist with his right hand, his original hand. Hiding his amusement, he watched as her jaw went slack. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Y-You can hold it!" she exclaimed as she stood up to face him. "I mean, I saw you do it with your left hand, but I didn't know you could hold it using your right one.

Not bothering to explain, he simply gave her a curt nod and stepped into Inuyasha's view.

The hanyou glared at him murderously. "Sesshoumaru…" he growled.

A small hand landed on his arm, stilling him. "What are you doing, Sesshoumaru?" the miko asked with no small amount of trepidation.

"Stay back," he ordered levelly as he reached out to the barrier.

The instant the shimmering film dissolved under his touch, Inuyasha charged. Fully expecting the attack, Sesshoumaru sidestepped and rammed the Tetsusaiga with its sheath hard into the hanyou's chest.

The impact threw Inuyasha backwards against the wall, Tetsusaiga now clutched in his arms. Sesshoumaru watched impassively as the redness in the hanyou's eyes began to fade, turning them back to a golden hue. The jagged stripes under his eyes faded, leaving unblemished skin as the demonic claws retracted.

Throwing him an accusing glance, the miko rushed by him and landed beside Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha?" she called out anxiously.

The hanyou groaned, and then lifted his head. His golden eyes locked onto the miko. "Kagome?" he rasped.

The miko threw her arms around Inuyasha, burying her face in his red fire-rat garment, sobbing her heart out.

Sesshoumaru received a wash of relief from the miko, making him frown. Her emotions were out of control and to his consternation he was feeling all of it. Soon. Soon she would be gone and his life would be restored to its ordered state.

Tired of watching the scene before him, he called out firmly, "Miko." She had a task to complete and she should not be wasting her time here.

Startled, she turned to look at him. Before she could say a word, Inuyasha snapped at him, "What do you want?"

Sesshoumaru's lips tightened in irritation. "Watch yourself, hanyou. This Sesshoumaru would not tolerate further insolence."

Inuyasha glowered at him. "Keh, I'll show you insolence!" he spat as he tried to push himself up.

To Sesshoumaru's amusement, the hanyou had only taken a single step before his legs crumpled under him, forcing him to land heavily on the ground.

The miko gasped and rushed to help him. "Inuyasha! Are you alright?"

Brushing away her concern, Inuyasha just muttered irritably, "I'm fine. Don't fuss."

"The blood of a full youkai consumes a large amount of energy. Your weak hanyou body is unable to cope."

Inuyasha just glared at him.

Turning his attention back to the miko, Sesshoumaru said, "Miko, we have unfinished business."

The miko looked between him and Inuyasha, clearly torn between her promise and her friend. At her continual hesitation, Sesshoumaru's impatience began to grow.

"Miko." His word held a tone of warning.

With a sigh, she stood up.

Inuyasha reached out for her, but failed to rise. "Kagome, don't listen to him."

"I need to go, Inuyasha. I promise I'll be back soon."

With that, she turned and walked out of the holding cell. The moment she passed the opening, Sesshoumaru called forth the barrier. Inuyasha instantly move, his face twisted in concentration.

"Let me out, Sesshoumaru!" he snarled, scrambling weakly.

Deciding that he would not waste his time in petty arguments with his half-brother, Sesshoumaru just ignored him and stepped away.

The miko gave him a worried look. "Sesshoumaru?"

"He will remain here until you complete this arm," he told her in an uncompromising tone.

She frowned. "But-"

"Miko. Our agreement."

Slumping visibly, she nodded.

* * *

"There," she said softly, trailing a finger down his newly formed index finger, complete with new sharp claws. "All done." 

This basically signaled the end of her stay there. Soon, she would be back to hunting shards with Inuyasha. Somehow, she could not help but feel a little sad at the thought. How strange was that? Sesshoumaru was not her friend or anything like that. She frowned. Or was he? After all, he was the one who had saved her from the hawk youkai and later, from Inuyasha's youkai self.

Her lips tilted. Sesshoumaru would not appreciate being called her friend.

Out of all this, what did he get? A new arm, a promise not to fight against him and a debt to collect from her?

She supposed it was fair that she had been the one to return his arm to him. After all, its loss had been indirectly her fault. As for not fighting against him, after spending all this time with him, she did not like the idea anyway, unless it was just training.

And the debt? It still could be anything, but somehow, Kagome was not overly worried about it. She had a feeling that Sesshoumaru would not ask for something unless it was important. She just knew it. Because that was the way he was. She just hoped that it would not involve Inuyasha or any of her other friends. Or the Shikon jewel.

She felt that somehow, somewhere along the line, the tables had been turned. Instead of him, she was the one getting the better end of the deal, although half the stuff he had done was probably more to help him at first.

It had taken just over five weeks to give Sesshoumaru back his arm. It would not have happened in such a short time if he had not taught her to manipulate her powers. That lesson in controlling her power had been priceless. Without Sesshoumaru, she would still be the fumbling miko, always dependent on Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku to protect her. Now, armed with her new battle skills and her powers, she would be able to do more.

She looked up to find Sesshoumaru looking at her intently. Giving him a small smile, she said, "Well, it looks good, doesn't it?"

Sesshoumaru lifted his newly completed arm to his eyes, flexing it and clenching his fingers. Although he looked just as blank and disinterested as ever, the waves of satisfaction emanating from him made her smile grow.

"Indeed."

Knowing that Sesshoumaru had no need for her presence any longer, she stood up. "Well, I'd better get my things then," she threw over her shoulders as she made her way across the dojo mat. She would pack and then leave with Inuyasha.

"Miko."

His voice halted her in her tracks. Frowning in confusion, she turned around.

"You are not leaving."

Her jaw dropped, and her temper flared. What did he mean by that? What reason could the sneaky bastard come up with to keep her?

She frowned. Unless he wanted to collect on that one last part of the agreement.

"You want to collect that debt, don't you?" she ventured.

"No."

Confused, she frowned. "Then what do you mean I'm not leaving? Apart from that, I've done my part!"

He unfolded his legs gracefully and stepped towards her. "It would be wise for you to complete your training in this final lesson."

Her eyes widened in surprise. She had thought that he would have written off their last session. After all, he had gotten what he wanted. The fact that he had said what he said made her feel sheepish for her earlier outburst.

"Oh. Right," she muttered uncomfortably. Quickly regaining her composure, she flashed him a bright smile and took a step towards the weapons rack to retrieve the kodachis.

"No weapons."

Stilling at his words, she turned around. "What do you mean?" she asked, feeling a little baffled.

"There would be times when you have to fight using only your natural weapons."

"I see," she acknowledged nervously, her eyes drawn to Sesshoumaru's ten perfect claws. What he said made sense, but the thought of dodging those poison claws gave her shivers.

Seemingly aware of her anxiety, he said firmly, "You are prepared for this."

"Heh heh." Her laughter was forced. If Sesshoumaru thought she could do it, perhaps he was right. He would not kill her, she told herself. After all, she still owed him something. But there was nothing stopping him from hurting her, her inner voice told her morbidly.

"Prepare yourself."

Much to her consternation, the taiyoukai sounded almost amused. Kagome closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Feeling a little calmer, she opening her eyes and placed her feet in the correct stance.

As always, his attack came without warning. This time, Sesshoumaru simply zipped towards her with his claws extended. For a moment, he looked exactly like how he had appeared years ago when he had tried to kill her.

Her eyes widened in alarm but she recovered her composure in time to call forth a barrier. A shimmering purplish glow surrounded her and Sesshoumaru's claws were instantly repelled, forcing him to take a few steps back.

She needed to attack before he decided to do anything. Dropping the barrier, she extended her powers to her fingers and released them. A series of pearlescent orbs shot out from her fingertips, flying straight at Sesshoumaru. For a second, she feared that she might have overdone it. Sesshoumaru relieved her fears by deflecting her orbs using his Whips of Lights.

She did not have time to ponder the odd flash of something from him which felt like suspiciously like approval. Her eyes were trained warily on the strands of golden whips headed straight at her. With a squeak of horror, she summoned her barrier again and crouched down reflexively with her hand over her heads.

"Miko. That is not an acceptable position," he barked. "Keep your eyes on the enemy."

Gritting her teeth at his condescending tone, Kagome lowered her arms and jumped to her feet. Fine, since this was the last session, she would give him all she got.

"Don't blame me when you get purified," she warned.

He snorted. Elegantly. "Those powers do not affect me."

Oh yes, she blinked in remembrance. How unfortunate. Her eyes landed on the golden whips on his fingers and an idea came to her. She would fight Sesshoumaru with an equivalent weapon.

"Shield your thoughts," Sesshoumaru ordered in a bored tone. "Your intentions are written all over your face."

Groaning out loud, she retorted, "You can read me so easily just because you're the one training me."

"It matters not. The element of surprise is important. It is your best attack against your enemy," he told her haughtily.

Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes, knowing that Sesshoumaru would not take too kindly to it. Still, she had to admit that his words made sense. As usual. His habit of pointing out her faults was annoying. However, in the time she had spent with him, she had come to understand that he always demanded perfection in every way, not only from others, but also from himself.

Deciding not to go ahead with her original plan as he had already figured out what she was up to, she settled for another. She had not attempted this on him before and she was curious of the result.

With an inward grin, she willed her powers to her hands. Making sure that she only let out a small fraction of her power, a narrow beam of pearlescent light shot out from her palms, heading straight to Sesshoumaru. Knowing that he would easily sidestep the shot, she immediately followed the first shot with a twin blast of energy from both palms, aiming some distance to his left and right.

As she expected, Sesshoumaru sidestepped the first direct shot. Kagome grinned in elation when she noted the instant Sesshoumaru realized that he had zipped straight into the path of the second blast. The fractional widening of his eyes was the only outward indication of his consternation, but Kagome could feel the disgust and irritation emanating from him in waves when he found himself locked within her glowing miko barrier.

Figuring that her barrier would not last long against him, she quickly ran towards him.

"Ha! See? I could do it," she mocked gleefully.

Unsurprisingly, Sesshoumaru gave her a disdainful look. What was surprising though, was again the feeling of approval she detected from him. Odd, she thought, wondering since when she had been able to read him so clearly. It had been happening on such a regular basis that she was beginning to get suspicious of her new ability.

"You barrier would not last long, Miko," he drawled. "By releasing three attacks, you have diluted the power."

And true enough, as he spoke, her barrier began to waver unsteadily.

"But while you're in the barrier, I would be able to cause you some damage," she pointed out with a grin, still riding on a high from being able to subdue Sesshoumaru. Even if it was temporary.

"Perhaps you should begin to think about your next action when this Sesshoumaru steps out of this barrier," he said calmly, but there was an unnerving glint in his eyes.

A golden glow began to surround him and his youki flared outwards. The barrier rippled momentarily in protest before it disintegrated into nothing, leaving Sesshoumaru standing in front of her with a raised eyebrow.

Her eyes widened as she took a step backwards. He took a step towards her, the expression in his eyes warning her of the retribution which would follow.

"Erm…" she gulped. "You remember your promise, right?"

There was no visible change in his expression, but she could still feel the annoyance radiating from him. "You doubt this Sesshoumaru's words?"

She quickly shook her head.

Then he began.

It turned out that the retribution doled out by Sesshoumaru was far less painful than she had expected. All he did was to aim his whips continually at her, forcing her to dodge his attacks and at the same time, trying to retaliate every chance she had. It forced her to be more inventive in her attacks. Not that it was easy, considering the speed at which those whips came at her, but she had expected to be completely flattened after her stunt earlier. Instead, he appeared to be holding back.

When rivers of sweat had dampened her clothes and her breath came in ragged pants, Sesshoumaru finally called a stop to it. Her shoulders slumping in weariness, she tried to get her breathing back to normal.

That was it then, she thought, eyeing Sesshoumaru through her lowered lashes. A small stab of sadness pierced through her at the thought that this was their last lesson. There would be no more sparring with Sesshoumaru, whether it was with her wit or with her battle skills. There would be no more taunting him to see how far she could push him. There would be no more feeling of exhilaration when she managed to grasp something new.

She knew it was coming, but she still could not help herself from feeling this way.

His deep voice broke into her thoughts. "It is time, Miko."

She was going to miss that voice telling her off on a regular basis, she thought wryly. How odd.

Sighing, she said, "I guess I'll go pack now."

* * *

Sesshoumaru watched silently as she walked away from him, leaving him alone in the dojo. 

The miko's sadness washed over him, making him frown. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Why was she sad anyway? Truly, humans were a mess of uncontrollable emotions. It made him glad that he did not suffer the same malady as that inferior species.

He looked around the dojo and suppressed a sigh. The place was in need serious of a repair, especially after their last session. Blackened holes littered the bamboo lining and the mats, making the inside of the dojo appear as if something had exploded from within.

He had deliberately chosen to run the training without weapons because he wanted to know the true extent of her skills.

And now he knew.

He allowed a smug smirk to surface. Her raw strength, he had to admit, as far greater than he had expected when he had commenced her training. The energy she displayed today without the weapons was a sight to behold, even if she had been still somewhat unfocussed. The strange darker youki he had sensed from her a couple of days had been there, intermingling with her previous one. However, it did not look as if the additional youki had played a part in her strength.

Sesshoumaru knew that without his training, her powers would have remained dormant. Dormant and wasted. That was no longer the case, he thought as he tried to ignore the rising feeling of pride in the achievement.

Her skills would prove to be useful when he decided to collect the one request she owed him. He already had an idea of what she could do for him. The fact that she owed him something and that she had agreed never to stand against him gave him no small amount of satisfaction. Not that he was overly concerned about fighting against her. He knew her moves well enough to handle her should she decide to dishonor their agreement.

But somehow, he doubted that she would stoop so low.

Right now, he had one last thing to do before the miko left. Inuyasha was still restrained in the rock cavern. With Tetsusaiga back in the hanyou's hands, Sesshoumaru supposed that it would wise to release him before the impulsive hanyou decided to blow the entire mountain apart.

Letting his eyes sweep over the dojo one last time, rueing the pending repair work, he began to make his way out. At the last second, something caught his gaze.

A thoughtful expression settled on his face as he studied the objects of interest.

* * *

A glowering Inuyasha was waiting for her in the distance with Tetsusaiga securely strapped to his waist. Kagome stifled a grin at the familiar sight. It struck her that Inuyasha often had to wait for her and he always did it with the same expression on his face. Strangely enough, he respected her wishes to say her goodbyes to the Western Lord in private and remained out of hearing distance. 

Closer to her, Shippou was midway between them, chatting animatedly to Rin. The little girl was obviously reluctant to see her newly acquired friend leave. Kagome's eyes softened. She hoped that Rin would not be too sad.

She turned to find Sesshoumaru staring at her with his usual mask of indifference. Somehow, she felt melancholic standing here saying goodbye to her ex-enemy turned teacher. Her eyes swept over his aristocratic features, memorizing him before they dipped lower. Suddenly, she wanted to look at the result of her efforts.

"Let me see," she said, nodding towards his left arm.

A look of surprise flashed over his face before it disappeared under his mask. His confusion was palpable when he extended his arm towards her. Almost gingerly, she held his hand and ran a finger from the wrist to the tip of his shiny new claw.

Then she squeezed his new hand, right where it was adorned with the magenta stripes. "I'm glad things worked out well."

"Hn." His reply gave away nothing.

She studied his stoic expression. Knowing that under the mask, he was feeling uncomfortable at her touch, she reluctantly dropped his hand.

"Thanks for…" she gestured vaguely. "…you know. Everything. I didn't expect it to be fun but you made it enjoyable. I hope you did not suffer too much through it."

He looked at her with a slightly stunned expression, as if he could not believe what he was hearing. Slowly, he nodded. "Your skills are acceptable. For a human."

Kagome grinned, knowing that it took a lot out of the proud taiyoukai to say even that. But somehow, she could almost feel that he was actually proud of their achievement.

Then she remembered something. "Um, Sesshoumaru. About that request, that one last bit of the agreement? When do you think-"

He cut her off. "You will know when it's time."

"Oh." She still had no idea what he would ask of her, but she guessed she would find out whenever he was ready. Somehow, she did not think that it would be something which would harm her.

Anyway, it was time for her to go. She could practically feel Inuyasha's stare boring holes in her back. Taking a deep breath, she gave the taiyoukai a small smile. "Take care, Sesshoumaru," she said as she turned to go.

"Miko," he called out suddenly, halting her in her tracks.

She gave him a questioning look, wondering what he wanted. To her surprise, he drew out two objects from his sash. Her eyes widened when she realized that he was holding out the two kodachis which she had been using.

"This Sesshoumaru has no need for these," he stated expressionlessly.

Speechless, Kagome could only stare at him as she took the kodachis. It was a gift. However much Sesshoumaru tried to disguise it with his words, she knew him well enough by now to know that this was actually a gift for her. Waves of discomfiture came from him, betraying his unease at his own action, in complete contrast with the bland expression he was wearing.

Giving him a grateful nod, she said, "Thank you. I'll take care of them."

"Hn."

She looked to one side, suddenly feeling awkward. "So, I guess I'll see you around, huh?"

"Perhaps."

She stole a glance at him to find him looking at her with an unreadable expression. But his gaze, unlike before, was no longer disdainful. In fact, she could have sworn that she saw a twitch to his lips. Suddenly feeling lighter, she gave him a bright smile.

He blinked, obviously surprised.

Her smile grew into a happy grin. "Yes. We'll see each other again. Bye, Sesshoumaru!"

Turning around, she proceeded to walk down the dirt path. She had only taken three steps when she heard his voice.

"Your time as my apprentice… it was not displeasing." His tone was gruff, almost grudging.

She stilled. That was the first time Sesshoumaru had practically admitted out loud that she was his apprentice. Let alone finding her company pleasing. Well, kind of. But when she turned around, he was already gone.

Sighing happily, she made her way back to a scowling Inuyasha and a bouncing Shippou.

Inuyasha's eyes immediately went to the kodachis. "What's that?" he growled.

The wheels turned in her mind. She did not want Inuyasha or the rest to find out about her training just yet. It would be a surprise. Flicking a meaningful look at Shippou, she said to Inuyasha, "Something Rin wanted me to have as a present."

Inuyasha gave her a doubtful look, but he did not continue with the line of questioning. "Feh! Let's leave this place. I'm sick of the bastard's scent." With that, he turned around and walked away.

Rolling her eyes at his back, she glanced back one more time at Sesshoumaru's home.

One day they would meet again. Yes, they would, considering that she still owed him a debt. Vaguely, she wondered if he would continue being like how he had been in the last couple of weeks, or would he be back to his old self.

Whatever it was, Kagome knew deep inside that the past five weeks or so had changed her outlook on the cold taiyoukai. She no longer feared him. She had even developed some form of respect for his sense of honor and his demand for perfection. Not to mention that without him, she would have never managed to gain so much in such a short time.

Perhaps one day, when they met again, she would tell him all this.

**End **

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A/N: That's the end of Part 1. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have in writing it. Please review to let me know what you think of the entire part. I would love to know your thoughts on it. Thanks for supporting me through this story and I hope to see you around for the next part which is now up on my profile. Considering by inability to come up with new titles, I've simply called it A Simple Legacy II. :P 


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